Japanese two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani on Saturday endured an up-and-down outing on the mound in his spring training debut for the Los Angeles Angels.
Ohtani allowed two runs, one earned, over one-and-a-third innings in his much-anticipated Cactus League debut against the Milwaukee Brewers in Tempe, Arizona.
He surrendered two hits, including a leadoff home run to Keon Broxton in the second inning. Ohtani struck out two, walked one and threw 31 pitches.
Photo: AFP
There were some command issues, including one wild pitch from the 23-year-old who wants to become the first player in nearly a century to pitch and hit regularly in the major leagues.
Ohtani also showed some of the weapons that had a multitude of major league teams chasing him, including a 156kph fastball and a 111kph curveball.
The Brewers scored their first run of the game after Jonathan Villar advanced to third on a wild pitch, then scored on a throwing error by catcher Martin Maldonado.
Ohtani struck out Brett Phillips to end the inning, stranding Choi Ji-man at third.
Ohtani, dubbed the Babe Ruth of Japan for his combined pitching prowess and explosive presence at the plate, is embarking on his first MLB season after five seasons in Japan, where he led the Nippon-Ham Fighters to their first championship in 10 years in 2016.
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