Shohei Ohtani versus Masahiro Tanaka failed to materialize in a significant way.
The Angels kept Ohtani from starting as a pitcher against his countryman for what was termed “workload management,” which sounds more like the name of a bad Adam Sandler movie than a reason to deprive fans of a desirable showdown.
Ohtani did DH all three games against the Yankees and in a season-high six straight games overall — I wonder if Cal Ripken Jr. is feeling the heat? Thus, on Sunday, he faced Tanaka for the first time since 2013. Nothing much changed. Ohtani was 19 years old the last time these two met and went 0-for-11 in Tanaka’s final season in Japan.