On the day of his World Series replica ring giveaway at Dodger Stadium, Shohei Ohtani put together a memorable two-way performance in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 5-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.
As a pitcher, Ohtani set season-highs with eight strikeouts, 54 pitches and four innings. He allowed just one run on two hits and did not walk a batter.
Ohtani also helped himself with a two-run homer in the bottom of the third, the 1,000th hit of his MLB career. He joined Ichiro Suzuki (3,089 career hits) and Hideki Matsui (1,253) as the only Japanese-born players to achieve that feat.
“I thought it was a big day for me, personally, getting to the fourth inning, being able to pitch through it,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “I think that was really good in terms of building up where I am.”
The three-time MVP’s offensive production has plunged a bit since resuming pitching, but he does not believe any adjustments to his approach are necessary.
“I don’t really try to think too differently on days that I pitch and hit and on days that I only hit,” he said.
Shohei Ohtani’s workout routine
Ohtani’s strong start against the Cardinals came on the heels of being removed from his last outing due to cramping in his right hip. The 31-year-old anticipates modifying his workouts in between starts moving forward to prevent that from happening again.
“I’m just thinking of adjusting how I work out or do my work in between my outings, especially now that I’m going to be throwing more innings,” Ohtani said. “So that’s something to consider with the training staff.”
Ohtani has made his last two starts as a pitcher before an off day and could remain on that schedule going forward in order to maximize his health.
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