Two swords allowed… Ohtani, will the WBC Korea-Japan match go out for a double job?
According to MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, on the 6th (Korean time), Los Angeles Angels general manager Perry Manasian said, “The WBC will not place any restrictions on Ohtani’s play.” I look forward to showing you who I am as a player.”
Previously, Japanese baseball team manager 메이저놀이터 Hideki Kuriyama expressed the opinion that Ohtani could be used as a pitcher if the Angels club allowed it. There is a very high chance that we will see Ohtani, the ‘double sword’, in the WBC.
Ohtani created a sensation in the United States, the home of baseball, by performing astonishingly as a pitcher in the major leagues. In the 2021 season, he won the American League MVP with 46 home runs and 100 RBIs as a hitter, an OPS of 0.965, and a 9-2 record with a 3.18 earned run average as a pitcher. Last year, as a pitcher, he recorded an average of 15 wins and 9 losses with an ERA of 2.33 and 219 strikeouts, and as a hitter, he hit 34 homers, 95 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.875, ranking second in the MVP vote following Aaron Judge (New York Yankees).
The Japanese press predicts that Ohtani is highly likely to pitch as a starting pitcher in the first round against Korea. Ohtani, who is scheduled to play an exhibition game at the Angels’ spring camp and join the Japanese national team, is expected to play in the Korean game considering jet lag and rest schedules. The WBC has a limit on the number of pitches in the first round of 65 pitches, so Ohtani is more likely to be a pitcher and batter at the same time.
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