Shohei Ohtani’s starring role for the Los Angeles Angels as a pitcher and designated hitter set him up to make MLB All-Star Game history.
Not a day goes by without Shohei Ohtani doing something incredible.
On Sunday, the two-way star made more MLB history by becoming the first player to be named an All-Star as a pitcher and position player.
Ohtani is the starting DH for the American League while also making the lineup of pitchers for the All-Star Game.
Shohei Ohtani made MLB history as a dual All-Star Game selection
Ohtani was a shoo-in make the All-Star team as a designated hitter. He leads the majors with 31 home runs and a slugging percentage of .704.
His latest home run helped the Angels complete a sweep of the Orioles on the Fourth of July. It was his eighth home run in eight games. In the first game of the series against Baltimore, he smacked two homers.
The bigger question about Ohtani’s All-Star candidacy surrounded his worthiness as a pitcher.
On the mound, Ohtani is still one of the AL’s most proficient pitchers. His ERA was 2.58 before a disastrous outing against the Yankees last week. Up to that point, he was rolling. However, he gave up seven runs and couldn’t finish the first inning in his Yankee Stadium debut, taking some of the shine off his pitching reputation.
He’s still at 3.60 on the season with a 3-1 record.
For much of the season, Los Angeles couldn’t match Ohtani’s excellence with results of their own. However, the team is on a four-game winning streak with six wins in their last seven. They’re also due to get Mike Trout back from injury sometime after the All-Star break.
The Angels just have to hope Ohtani’s All-Star appearance doesn’t take some of the wind out of his sails. He is slated to participate in the Home Run Derby.