Another day that ends in the letter y, another ridiculous performance from Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani.
The sports world as a whole has become numb to Ohtani putting in ridiculous performances both on the mound and at the plate, which is the ultimate compliment for the Japanese star. The stat line he put together on Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, however, is worth highlighting because it’s just that impressive.
DAVE ROBERTS CALLS CRITICISM OF DODGERS’ SPENDING ‘LAZY,’ SAYS RIVALS SHOULD ‘LOOK IN THE MIRROR’
The 31-year-old gave up two hits, walked one batter and struck out six on 89 pitches in 6.0 innings of work in Los Angeles’ 7-0 win on the road. That’s a great day’s work for any pitcher in baseball.
Then, you add in what he did with a bat in his hand, and it’s just another example many can and will point to while claiming Ohtani is the best to ever step foot on the diamond.
While Ohtani did strike out once on Wednesday, he finished the contest going 3-for-4 at the plate while drawing two walks and scoring one run.
Picking up three hits and scoring a run while you simultaneously only give up two hits and zero runs on the mound is mind-boggling stuff.
After his six scoreless innings, Ohtani’s ERA fell to 0.74 for the year across 61.0 innings of work in his 10 starts. If that number catches your attention, that’s because it should.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
According to ESPN Insights, Ohtani’s 0.74 ERA is the third-lowest through 10 starts since 1913. Juan Marichal’s 0.59 ERA in 1966 and Jacob deGrom’s 0.56 mark in 2021 are the only two to better Ohtani’s number.
Marichal and deGrom, however, weren’t also batting .301 or putting together a .941 OPS at the plate.
Ohtani is a four-time MLB MVP, but has yet to add a Cy Young Award to his resume, although it looks like that achievement should be added sooner rather than later.