ANAHEIM, Calif. -- It's largely forgotten by now, trampled by the overwhelming success that followed, but Shohei Ohtani's introduction as a major league pitcher was dreadful.
He allowed nine runs and recorded eight outs over the course of two Cactus League starts in the spring of 2018, plus another six runs in an unofficial exhibition game against a Mexican League team. But what was most concerning to Martin Maldonado, the Los Angeles Angels' starting catcher at the time, was his velocity. A celebrated two-way player who was hailed for throwing his fastball into the triple digits couldn't eclipse the low 90s when he first arrived in the United States.