Earlier this week, Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani went viral for striking out on a 68-mile-per-hour pitch from Detroit Tigers position player Kody Clemens after the son of seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens was subbed into the game to close out a lopsided loss. It could have been an embarrassing moment for the reigning MVP, but based on his response it seems like he’s taken the moment in stride.
It looks like Clemens was so proud of striking out Ohtani for his first-career strikeout that he not only kept the ball, but he also got the Angels star to sign it for him. Of course, he then posted a picture of it on Instagram, according to Ben Verlander.
Shohei Ohtani signed the ball for Kody Clemens that he struck him out on 😂
(Via @kodyclem Instagram) pic.twitter.com/9KjetGEF9U
— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) September 6, 2022
“You’re the man!” Clemens said while tagging Ohtani in the caption.
Clemens put the ball in a case with a small plaque that reads “Kody Clemens vs. Shohei Ohtani 1st career K 9/5/22 Tigers @ Angels.”
Of course, it’s pretty easy to be a good sport about a situation like this given the game’s context. The Angels won the game by a lopsided score of 10-0 while Ohtani had a stellar performance, finishing the game with three hits and two home runs in
