This is the Shohei Ohtani that many MLB organizations were obsessed with trying to recruit over the offseason.
The Angels’ two-way rookie continued his incredible week with a ridiculous pitching performance on Sunday against the Oakland A’s. Ohtani took a perfect game into the seventh inning, before allowing a single to Oakland’s Marcus Semien. That ended up being the only hit Ohtani allowed over seven shutout innings that included 12 strikeouts, in the Angels’ 6-1 win.
Shohei Ohtani's Week
Tuesday: 3-for-4, Homer, 2 runs, 3 RBI
Wednesday: 2-for-5, Homer, Run, 2 RBI
Friday: 1-for-4, Homer, BB, Run, 2 RBI
Sunday: Perfect game into 7th, 7 shutout innings, 1 hit allowed, 12 strikeouts— James Santelli, Baseball-Enjoyer (@JamesSantelli) April 8, 2018
Shohei Ohtani has more home runs this season than Aaron Judge and more strikeouts than Max Scherzer
— Alex Putterman (@AlexPutterman) April 8, 2018
And he was every bit as dominant as the numbers say. This game was much more about how nasty his pitching was than it was the Athletics’ inability to hit; any offense would’ve struggled vs Ohtani’s stuff today.
The 6’4″ right-hander touched 100 mph with his fastball, and his velocity was even increasing as the game went along.
Ohtani is throwing harder as this game goes on. Nothing to see here, no big deal. pic.twitter.com/jTjy8PB5FM
— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) April 8, 2018
And not only was he throwing 100 mph, but he was painting the corners with it. This is unfair:
Shohei Ohtani, 100 mph Painting with Flames. ??️?️? pic.twitter.com/xarW9lrNbb
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 8, 2018
Shohei Ohtani, Painting with Flames, Part Deux. ??️?️? pic.twitter.com/B5P322T81b
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 8, 2018
He also showed off filthy splitters and sliders to go with the heat:
Shohei Ohtani commands the A's lineup to bend the knee before his royal Splitter. ? pic.twitter.com/U6NQAayEIh
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 8, 2018
hahaha pic.twitter.com/1TKTHpDTw4
— Justin Russo (@FlyByKnite) April 8, 2018
Shohei Ohtani, Slider & Splitter combo.
[Just wanted to remind folks that his slider is pretty good too, since I haven't tweeted one today. ?] pic.twitter.com/wRq8SMaNfO
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 8, 2018
Not a bad home debut on the mound for the 23-year-old.
You always assume with rookies that the league will figure out their weaknesses and eventually adjust, but when you’re throwing 100 mph and locating it well, and complement the fastballs with wipeout secondary pitches, it’s not going to matter how much teams have learned about the pitcher. The stuff Ohtani showed off on Sunday is borderline unhittable, and the box score certainly reflects that.