Shohei Ohtani (29, LA Angels) will be a starting pitcher for the opening game for the second year in a row.
MLB.com, the official homepage of Major League Baseball, announced on the 17th (Korean time) that Ohtani would be the starting pitcher for the opening game of the Angels.
Ohtani played an MVP-level performance last year토토사이트. Starting in 28 games, Ohtani posted a good record of 15-9 with an ERA of 2.33, and at bat, he had a batting average of 0.273, 34 homers, 95 RBIs, 90 runs scored and 11 stolen bases.
Ohtani will start as a starting pitcher in an away game against the Oakland Athletics on March 31 and aim for a home run as well as his first win of the season.
It is the fourth time that a Japanese pitcher has started the opening game for two consecutive years, following Hideo Nomo (2003, 2004), Masahiro Tanaka (2015, 2016, 2017), and Yu Darvish (2021, 2022).
Ohtani started the opening match after participating in the Japanese national team in the 5th World Baseball Classic (WBC) in early March. “It’s an honor,” said Ohtani, who was in charge of the important role.
Angels coach Phil Nevin expressed his opinion that even if Japan advances to the WBC final (March 22), Ohtani will be the starting pitcher for the opening match.