Shohei Ohtani (29, LA Angels) was given a ‘long hit warning’.
On the 4th (Korean time), which was the recent appearance, Ohtani, the’icon of both two and other jobs’, set a record at the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) St. Louis Cardinals expedition. Appearing as the starting pitcher and batter number 3, he struck out 13 in 5 innings and accumulated his 500th strikeout in his personal career. Ohtani, who has already hit 134 home runs as a batter, became the second player in MLB history to hit 500 strikeouts and 100 home runs at the same time, following Babe Ruth (501 strikeouts – 714 home runs), who continues to be compared for both pitching and hitting. .
Ohtani is showing splendid performances every day. However, an abnormal current was detected by ‘Tutani (pitcher Ohtani)’. On the 28th of last month, against the Oakland Athletics, he gave up 5 runs in 6 innings and against St. Louis on the 4th, giving up 4 runs in 5 innings.
Both of these games hit two home runs each. There were no home runs in the previous five appearances. It is the first time that Ohtani recorded more than two home runs in two consecutive games since the Toronto Blue Jays match on May 27 last year and the New York Yankees match on June 3 last year. Both Brent Booker and Shay Langellias (above Oakland) and Dylan Carson (above St. Louis), who allowed home runs, are hard hitters who are hard to see as giants.
Ohtani threw the sweeper the most this season. The usage rate reached 48.9% (313 out of 619). Sweeper is best known for the decision ball he threw when he struck out teammate Mike Trout in the World Baseball Classic (WBC). It is a ball that moves diagonally outward from a right-handed hitter.
The polishing craze also blew among domestic pitchers. As much as that, Ohtani’s sweeper looked attractive. However, the sweeper has been attacked in the last two games. When Ohtani allowed home runs to Langellias and Carson, the ball he threw was the sweeper. The ball was all driven into the middle.
In the bottom of the 4th inning against St. Louis, Ohtani threw a sweeper to lead hitter Nolan Arenado and follow-up Wilson Contreras, allowing consecutive doubles. All of them were balls that passed through the strike zone (S zone). In one inning, including the home run hit by Dylan, he hit 3 long hits only as a sweeper.바카라사이트
Ohtani struck out 31 as a sweeper this season. The number of hits (0.113) is also very low. However, throwing a ball to catch a strike risks leading to a long hit. For hitters who swing uppercuts, even entering a low course is dangerous. As in the case of trout in the WBC, the trajectory of the hitter’s ball count that slightly crosses the S zone and flows out seems the most ideal.
The opponent’s response is also improving. St. Louis Contreras predicted that Ohtani’s sweeper would flow diagonally and created a double with a pushing swing as if attacking the ball outside (based on a right-handed hitter). The timing of Langeliers’ and Carson’s home runs was also quite accurate.
Ohtani himself would know better than anyone that the sweeper was starting to hit. After allowing home runs in two consecutive games last year, he recovered his pace by recording only three runs in six games (46 innings). Will Ohtani’s dull sweeper be able to demonstrate its power again?