The first time I remember seeing Shohei Ohtani play was a Friday night in May 2018, at a bar in some lakeish town in Michigan (though aren’t they all?). The Angels were playing the Yankees, and I was excitedly telling my wife about what a freakish prospect he was, an impossible amalgamation.
But I also distinctly recall shading that praise with a typical warning to both of us not to get too excited. There’s no guarantee even the best player is going to do something cool on any given night. Baseball is weird like that. And beside, his skills might not be utilized completely over here.