It's not enough to turn the hype into hope, not when you've been labeled the "Babe Ruth of Japan" and are expected to dominate on the mound and crush 450-foot home runs between starts. But for Shohei Ohtani, perhaps it was a start.
The Angels' aspiring two-way player replaced his front leg kick with more of a toe-tap Monday night, and looked a little more comfortable in the box, lining a hard single to left field in four at-bats during a 4-1 Freeway Series victory in Dodger Stadium.
"I don't try to let that day's result affect me, I try to break down what I did good that day, what I did bad, and plan ahead from there," Ohtani said through an interpreter.