.mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-side__nav-item:last-child{border:none;}/*!sc*/ pic.twitter.com/NgGetLRuv8. But his two breaking pitches, his slider and curveball, aren't just ornamental. Ohtani has ramped up his splitter velocity this season, and that's made it filthier than ever. If Senga has trouble commanding his slider/cutter I see him falling back on his splitter more like Ohtani and Gausman, and getting similar results. .mHQYb .mlb-header__login-menu{background:#ffffff;border-top:solid 4px #002867;box-shadow:0 2px 4px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.2);box-shadow:6px 6px 15px -3px rgba(0,0,0,0.25);left:-99em;opacity:0;padding:10px;position:absolute;right:0;-webkit-transition:opacity 1ms ease 1ms;transition:opacity 1ms ease 1ms;width:160px;z-index:99992;}/*!sc*/ Shohei Ohtani threw a nasty split-fingered fastball in the first inning on Sunday that raised the eyebrows of Angels manager Joe Maddon, who is not used to seeing his two-way star go to his signature put-away pitch so soon. Next Tournament: Yakushi: Best batting lineup Seido: Best pitching lineup He fared well against the Red Sox, and the cutter delivered positive results on the box score, but Ohtanis night was saved by a Juan Lagares, who robbed Bogaerts of a two-run home run off of an Ohtani cutter. Ohtani, who ranks third in the American League with 44 homers and is in the thick of the AL most valuable player race, has no desire to ease his workload in the final two weeks of the season. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .icon *{fill:currentColor;}/*!sc*/ Ohtani has been a two-way player for essentially two months of a three-year MLB career. The first hit he allowed was a single by Wilson Ramos off third baseman Zack Cozart's glove on May 20. He declared himself fit after completing a 32-pitch bullpen session on Friday, and the Angels had no reservations starting him on Sunday, even though Ohtani has a history of elbow injuries and the team is well out of playoff contention. @media (min-width:1024px){.hUHmCp > article{margin:auto;max-width:967px;}.hUHmCp > article > section{grid-column:1 / span 8;}.hUHmCp > article > aside{display:block;grid-column:9 / 13;}}/*!sc*/ In what ways has Ohtani evolved the most as a pitcher this season? .ebrWqN{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0px;background-color:#f3f3f3;border-radius:50%;-webkit-border-radius:50%;}/*!sc*/ Just relax a little bit.. data-styled.g163[id="Styles__OEmbedContainer-oapuup-0"]{content:"epHHrr,"}/*!sc*/ Just relax a little bit.","type":"markdown"},{"__typename":"Video","contentDate":"2023-03-01T00:42:25.24Z","description":"Shea Langeliers joins MLB Tonight to discuss his opportunity to make an impact for the A's and getting to know the pitching staff","displayAsVideoGif":false,"duration":"00:01:16","mp4AvcPlayback":"https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-02/28/b52d1421-a278dfc8-814c1d55-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4","slug":"langeliers-on-preparing-for-2023","tags":[{"__typename":"Tag","slug":"teamid-133","title":"Oakland Athletics"},{"__typename":"Tag","slug":"playerid-669127","title":"Shea Langeliers"},{"__typename":"Tag","slug":"mlbn-mlb-tonight","title":"MLB Tonight"},{"__typename":"Tag","slug":"mlb-network","title":"MLB Network"},{"__typename":"Tag","slug":"spring-training","title":"Spring Training"},{"__typename":"Tag","slug":"cactus-league","title":"Cactus League"},{"__typename":"Tag","slug":"interview","title":"interview"}],"templateUrl":"https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/{formatInstructions}/mlb/ss2nqxb8amgkopqymknr","title":"Langeliers on preparing for 2023","type":"video","url":"/video/langeliers-on-preparing-for-2023"},{"__typename":"Markdown","content":"Its understandable if Fujinami might have wanted to put on a show. But in the middle of the \\[second inning\\] I got the feel back.\n\nIn anticipation of any miscommunication that could arise while working together for the first time, Langeliers sat down with Fujinami for lunch before the game and mapped out a plan for how they wanted to approach hitters. h2.Styles__HeadlineContainer-sc-19rm04l-0{font-size:1.2rem;margin-bottom:8px;color:#666666;}/*!sc*/ Its almost an even split, but RHH are hitting .063 with a .084 SLIG against Ohtani splitters and .208 with .375 SLG against Ohtani sliders. Shohei Ohtani threw a nasty split-fingered fastball in the first inning on Sunday that raised the eyebrows of Angels manager Joe Maddon, who is not used to seeing his two-way star go to his. Fastest pitches thrown by SP since Ohtani's debut101.1 mph -- Shohei Ohtani (LAA), 5/30/18101.1 mph -- Gerrit Cole (HOU), 7/6/19101.1 mph -- Josh James (HOU), 9/1/18101.0 mph -- Shohei Ohtani (LAA), 4/24/18101.0 mph -- Shohei Ohtani (LAA), 4/24/18101.0 mph -- Nathan Eovaldi (BOS), 10/16/18 (postseason)101.0 mph -- Nathan Eovaldi (BOS), 10/8/18 (postseason), Shohei Ohtani, 101 mph pirouette pic.twitter.com/8pOSyzys8y. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__subnav{text-align:left;background-color:#ffffff;}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-top__tagline{margin-right:auto;display:none;}/*!sc*/ He has five total starts this season with cutter usage less than 3.5% and six starts with cutter usage greater than 14%. Two-way star Shohei Ohtani helped the Angels end a five-game losing streak with a 110-pitch outing against the Rays Sunday. .hYmwpY{display:block;}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-top__nav-item__link .icon__nav-item{margin-right:5px;width:10px;height:15px;-webkit-flex-shrink:0;-ms-flex-negative:0;flex-shrink:0;}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-side{display:none;-webkit-align-items:stretch;-webkit-box-align:stretch;-ms-flex-align:stretch;align-items:stretch;width:100%;height:calc(100vh - 56px);position:relative;overflow:hidden;z-index:99992;top:0;}/*!sc*/ .blLcNM .content >:nth-last-child(2){border:none;margin-right:auto;padding-right:48px;}/*!sc*/ Ohtani's four-seamer works especially well with his splitter because they both come straight at the hitter -- but the four-seamer will carry through the zone, and the splitter will drop out. There were the pitchers, the catchers, the infielders, the outfielders, and then, right there in the middle: "Two-Way (1): Shohei Ohtani.". He dominated Oakland by throwing 49 percent sliders, 22 percent cutters, 14 percent curveballs, 11 percent sinkers, 5 percent splitters and just . Its plausible that Ohtani favors four-seam fastball to get strikes and set up the splitter when ahead in the count, because it tunnels well and gets whiffs. Some of that was evident in the second inning, which he began by walking the first three batters -- including a four-pitch walk to Trey Cabbage that loaded the bases with no outs. window.appId = '' .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-side__nav-items{background-color:#041E42;}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb header.mlb-header .mlb-header--inner{margin:auto;max-width:none;position:relative;}/*!sc*/ A lot of his best. With his sinker averaging 16 inches of run from left to right, those two pitches can diverge by 30 inches if he starts them out in the same spot. This enforces the splitters downward movement. But his four-seamer only drops 12.7 inches on its way to the plate. (So much for those shaky spring training stats, huh?) img{border-style:none;}/*!sc*/ Is she making a sport out of it? The knock on Fujinami from his time in Japan was that his command can sometimes get out of whack. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .account--logged-in.active::after{background:#057AFF;}/*!sc*/ Maddon believes the benefits of pitching Sunday and making one or possibly two more starts this season could be felt in 2022. On the mound, Ohtani has made 13 starts, posting a 3.49 ERA, while striking out 30.4% of batters for a total of 1.5 WAR. From the opposing side, Fujinami left a strong first impression. button,select{text-transform:none;}/*!sc*/ .blUWSx{height:30px;position:relative;width:30px;}/*!sc*/ BestsellerThe Barista Express grinds, foams milk, and produces the silkiest espresso at the perfect temperature. Within the small sample that he's thrown (only 13 total), Ohtani has used his sinker to get swings-and-misses from Ty France and Bo Bichette and a first-pitch strike on Alejandro Kirk, and the only contact against it has been a slow chopper foul by Bichette and a groundout to third by France. Based on data from ESPNs Stats & Information Group, he has thrown the splitter 58 times, and its already generated 13 strikeouts; only Houstons Lance McCullers (curveball) and Arizonas Patrick Corbin (slider) have gotten more Ks on a single pitch than Ohtani has gotten with his splitter so far. Shohei Ohtani was called for two balks and threw a wild pitch in a two-run fifth inning, as he pitched, batted and played in the outfield in the Los Angeles' 6-5, 10-inning victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday. Backs Aaron Judge for the 2022 AL MVP Award, Tinkering with Shohei Ohtanis Pitch Usage. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Oakland Athletics, Shaikin: Is Major League Baseball really dying? He had a really good first inning, executing a lot of pitches, and came out wanting to do more than that in the second inning. Why are the Angels wearing jersey patches with FBM on them? . He said it was a little sore the other day. .cWQXyp{display:inline-block;width:100%;position:relative;}/*!sc*/ @media screen and (min-width:1024px){.mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-side__nav-item--inner:hover a,.mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-side__nav-item--inner:hover span{color:#ffffff;}.mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-side__nav-item--inner:hover .p-icon *{fill:#ffffff;}}/*!sc*/ Today went really smooth. .fYCiRB{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-box-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;justify-content:center;height:40px;width:40px;}/*!sc*/ .dLQAwR{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;margin-right:8px;min-height:48px;margin-bottom:8px;padding-right:8px;}/*!sc*/ Well start attacking hitters and thinking the same way. Gausman currently throws 50.4% four-seam fastballs and splitters a whopping 40.2% of pitches. sub{bottom:-0.25em;}/*!sc*/ We may earn a commission from links on this page. Command of all of his stuff, repetition of his delivery, hes quicker out of the stretch, he goes to the slower, more elongated delivery when no one is on base, Maddon said. (Its barely been one week!) This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Watch the following highlight reel of his strikeouts, and notice that six of the nine hitters he sat down whiffed on his split-fingered fastball, which flies in at around 88 mph and drops precipitously out of the frame at the last second. .mHQYb .p-search__list{z-index:50;min-width:250px;border-radius:6px;-webkit-mask-image:-webkit-radial-gradient(#ffffff,#000000);}/*!sc*/ I thought this game showed Japanese fans some good entertainment.","type":"markdown"},{"__typename":"PhotoPart","caption":null,"contextualCaption":null,"contextualAspectRatio":null,"credit":null,"format":"jpg","templateUrl":"https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/{formatInstructions}/v1677631799/mlb/v4ook8ooawv5ux123nfj","type":"photo"},{"__typename":"Markdown","content":"Theres a strong chance Fujinami will face the Angels again in about a month -- the As open the regular season March 30 by hosting the Angels for a three-game series at the Coliseum. sup{top:-0.5em;}/*!sc*/ All of them are nasty. Tuesdays matchup with Ohtani came with much fanfare, particularly back home in Japan, for the two first-round selections in the 2012 Nippon Professional Baseball draft who share a history that dates back to their days as high school phenoms.\n\n Ohtani takes mound vs. A's before Japan trip\n\nSpecial accommodations even had to be made at Hohokam for the larger-than-usual media contingent, which included 40 members of Japanese media.\n\nIt didnt bother me, Fujinami said of the extra attention. article > header{padding:0 16px;}/*!sc*/ Ohtani's slider has always gotten top-tier horizontal movement. Millions of unique designs by independent artists. (The splitter, which is thrown with the index and middle fingers spread wide over the seams, isnt a true fastball in the same sense as the four-seamer; its more like a change-up that looks like a fastball to hitters before abruptly dropping at the last second.) .mHQYb .p-search__input--sm{font-size:12px;height:30px;min-width:150px;}/*!sc*/ He lost control in the second inning, but good pitchers get those outs when they need.. Highest strikeout rate with a single pitch type, 2021Minimum 20 PA ending on that pitch type. Ohtani throws a true four-seamer. .blUWSx .share-list{position:absolute;list-style:none;margin:0;margin-left:2px;padding:0;margin-top:3px;margin-right:10px;}/*!sc*/ Image source: baseball-pitching-tips.com. Even before Shohei Ohtani became the star of baseball this season, his teammates knew there was something special about him on and off the field. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-top__nav-container{-webkit-order:99;-ms-flex-order:99;order:99;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex:99 1 100%;-ms-flex:99 1 100%;flex:99 1 100%;width:100%;}/*!sc*/ \n","providerName":"Twitter","providerUrl":"https://twitter.com","type":"rich","width":550},"type":"oembed"},{"__typename":"Markdown","content":"On April 24, 2018, Ohtani blew a 100.6 mph fastball past Josh Reddick -- the fastest pitch to get a swing-and-miss by any starter all year.\n\nA few weeks before that, on April 8, when he took a perfect game into the seventh inning in his second MLB start, he fanned Marcus Semien with a 99.6 mph fastball for his personal-best strikeout velo in the big leagues. .hedPca{color:#666666;font-size:0.833rem;font-weight:500;margin-bottom:24px;padding-top:8px;}/*!sc*/ Ohtani's 101.1 mph max velo on May 30, 2018, is still tied for the fastest pitch thrown by an MLB starting pitcher over the last two seasons. MLB. Ohtani's All-Star hitter credentials are now backed up by a 176 OPS+and MLB-leadingmarks in home runs (32) and slugging percentage (.700). Nikola Joki is your 2023 NBA MVP right? .epHHrr iframe{max-width:100%;}/*!sc*/ He won Associated Press Sports Editors awards for game-story writing in 2001, feature-story writing in 2017 and breaking news in 2019. .mHQYb .mlb-header__login-menu__link{display:block;padding:10px;color:#081c3b;background-color:#f7f7f7;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}/*!sc*/ In the middle of an MVP race, Ohtani started throwing a new pitch. data-styled.g166[id="Styles__VideoPlayerContainer-t94iyc-0"]{content:"XOHMa,"}/*!sc*/ .HQoYx{border:0;padding:0;text-align:center;}/*!sc*/ But there are at least a few signs that Ohtani might cool down from his early 1.310 on-base plus slugging start at the plate. @font-face{font-family:'proxima-nova';src:url('https://www.mlbstatic.com/mlb.com/fonts/proxima-nova-medium-it.woff2') format('woff2'),url('https://www.mlbstatic.com/mlb.com/fonts/proxima-nova-medium-it.woff') format('woff');font-weight:500;font-style:italic;font-display:fallback;}/*!sc*/ This development should actually sound familiar because Ohtani also added a new pitch last season on his way to the AL MVP Award. *{box-sizing:border-box;}/*!sc*/ He had good command of it. But purely as a hitter, Ohtani can easily claim to be worth $25 million a year and probably $30 mildo. In what ways has Ohtani evolved the most as a pitcher this season? As a pitcher who is known to throw well over 100 miles per hour, Ohtani's fastball is a major money-maker for him. header.mlb-header.mlb-header--side-nav-open{position:fixed;top:0px;z-index:99992;}/*!sc*/ data-styled.g101[id="styles__SearchWidgetButton-sc-1vorjk3-1"]{content:"cwEpxl,"}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb .mlb-header__login-menu__link:hover{background-color:#e2e2e2;color:#002867;border-radius:3px;}/*!sc*/ That's just as a hitter. @media (max-width:1023px){.mHQYb header.mlb-header.mlb-header--side-nav-open .header__nav-side__nav-items{font-size:14px;}}/*!sc*/ Had he come back and said its still a little bit tender, I probably would have gone in a different direction, but [Wise] said it was one of his better side pieces, so let him go. Jul 9, 2021 Time to get to work! .cHcHkC{font-size:1.2rem;line-height:1.2;margin-top:0;max-height:48px;overflow:hidden;position:relative;display:-webkit-box;width:100%;-webkit-line-clamp:2;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;}/*!sc*/ Survey says no, Shohei Ohtanis first appearance on the mound with pitch clock goes smoothly, Carlos Estvezs long journey to majors could lead to the closer role for Angels, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; We are coming, sheriff says, Newsom, IRS give Californians until October to file tax returns, Californias snowpack is approaching an all-time record, with more on the way. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-top .header__nav-top__button-menu{cursor:pointer;}/*!sc*/ fieldset{padding:0.35em 0.75em 0.625em;}/*!sc*/