Sunday night was a rollercoaster of emotions for the Los Angeles Angels, getting to see the full extent of Shohei Ohtani’s considerable talents on display, but also reminded of the fragility and rarity of fully realizing his potential.
The gloves are off with Ohtani this year, in that the Angels are letting him fully explore his two-way abilities. Gone was the off day as a hitter before his pitching start, and on Sunday he was in the lineup in a game he pitched for the first time since joining the Angels in 2018.
Ohtani batted second against the White Sox, which the Angels noted was the first time a starting pitcher did so since Jack Dunleavy for the Cardinals in 1903.