Jake Mintz
FOX Sports MLB Analyst
NEW YORK — Shohei Ohtani is the omnipresence of baseball.
There he goes, making the hit, the run and for Jove, even the throw, too. His magic, his value, his impact and soon, his fortune all stem from Ohtani’s ability to perform on both sides of the ball not just at an adequate level, but at an extraordinary level. This winter, Ohtani will become the highest paid baseball player in history because he can blow it i can throw it away
But for one out of every three Angels series, the two-way baseball dynamo reverts to something less impressive, but still immense: a damn good designated hitter. Ohtani is amazing, yes, but he’s also human and a starting pitcher, which means he needs five days to recover between starts. Even gods need naps.
And since Ohtani threw Monday afternoon at Fenway Park against the Red Sox, he won’t throw a single pitch against the Yankees in the Bronx this week. But while the baseball world won’t be getting its Ohtani-Aaron Judge dreamland matchup this time around, was the Ohtani-Mike Trout WBC matchup enough for you? — He got a pretty good consolation prize in the first inning Tuesday night.
On an evening in New York, the 28-year-old reigning MVP sent the third pitch he saw, a dull Clarke Schmidt cutter, into a line into the right-field seats. As is often the case with Ohtani’s home runs, baseball didn’t exactly stop on its journey to the great beyond. In fact, his 116.7 mph blast was the most hit ball of Ohtani’s 2023 season so far and the fourth most hit homer of his entire career. That blast, however, also occurred on the 100th anniversary of the old Yankee Stadium, a day when baseball’s original folk hero, Babe Ruth, cleared the fairway fences. But of course.
“I knew it was the 100th anniversary, but I didn’t know Babe did a tribute,” Ohtani said through translator Ippei Mizuhara.
Shohei Ohtani hits a two-run homer to right-center field against the Yankees
Every time Ohtani pays tribute is newsworthy, so every time he takes the field at Yankee Stadium, the self-proclaimed epicenter of the baseball universe, it’s even bigger. And given that Ohtani’s trip to the Bronx this year (aka the annual chance for pinstripes fans to chant “future Yankee!” at the guy) has added steam with his impending free agency, it’s you better believe people will look at it and remember. home run
So while on Tuesday, and for the next two games, Ohtani might also be a faster, more charismatic version of Harold Baines, he’s still capable of magnificent, remarkable feats. He doesn’t just hit and throw, no. He is one beater already clay jug. Never forget that, my friends.
Jake Mintz, the stronger half @CespedesBBQ is a baseball writer for FOX Sports. He played college baseball, poorly at first, then very well, very briefly. Jake lives in New York City where he coaches Little League and rides his bike, sometimes at the same time. Follow him on Twitter at @Jake_Mintz.
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