Death, taxes, Shohei Ohtani sets new records.
On Tuesday night, in the Los Angeles Angels 2-0 win over the Washington Nationals, the two-way phenom held his opposers to one hit over seven scoreless innings.
The outing brought his seasonal numbers to 2-0 with a 0.47 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 19 frames. Despite 12 walks on the season, he set the Angels’ franchise record by allowing two or fewer runs in his tenth consecutive start.
According to MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger, Ohtani passed the previous mark set by pitching icon Nolan Ryan during his 1972 and 1973 campaigns.
But because it’s Ohtani, he wants to be better. Yep, he wants to be better than NOLAN RYAN.
“If you look at the results on paper, it looks great, but I really haven’t had too many 1-2-3 innings,” Ohtani told MLB.com via interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. “I feel like the only issue right now is the walks. It’s kind of weird, because I felt really good in the bullpen this time around so I didn’t think I would give up as much as I did.”
Ohtani started developing his sinker last season and introduced it into his pitching arsenal. It had an above-average velocity. While it struggled in the beginning, it was the perfect time to experiment with it. He had begun to throw it when the Angels had already surpassed their playoff bid.
Couldn’t hurt to try it. Now, he’s perfected it, along with the other secondary pitches.
Manager Phil Nevin noticed the adjustments he made to what Ohtani was throwing, and the new rules, of course. He’s also adding to what we’re already accustomed to seeing.
“He’s added some shapes to his pitches,” Nevin said. “The adjustments he’s making in-game and between starts, it’s what the great pitchers do. He’s obviously one of those guys, and is always striving to be better. He threw some pitches tonight we haven’t seen.”
So … Ohtani will only get … better?
Count us in.
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.