Ask any veteran (old) baseball fan who’s the best there ever was, there’s a good chance that many (most) would answer outfielder – and pitcher – George Herman Babe Ruth, who spent 22 seasons in Major League Baseball; a career that was rewarded with his enshrinement into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in it’s inaugural class in 1936 (along with Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, and Walter Johnson).
Move over, Babe.
Although only in his eighth Major League season, soon-to-be (on July 5) 31-year-old Dodgers superstar designated hitter – and pitcher – Shohei Ohtani is drawing comparisons to The Babe almost daily.
(SportsNet LA)
On Sunday, the Oshu, Japan native made his 18-pitch / 12 strike / 1.0-inning / second start in the NL West first-place Dodgers’ eventual 13-7 win over the NL East fourth-place Washington Nations in front of a Dodger Stadium crowd of 48,177. He faced four Nationals batters without allowing a run or hit, while striking out two. The lone baserunner he allowed was the result of a fielding error by Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts.
“Overall I was able to relax much better that my last outing,” Ohtani told SportsNet LA’s David Vassegh postgame through intrepeter Will Ireton. “That was the original plan,” when asled why only one inning.
That last-outing referred to Ohtani’s one-inning start on June 16 against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium in which he allowed one run on two hits in his 28-pitch / 16-strike Dodgers pitching debut.
And now for the Babe Ruth part.
With one out in the bottom of the eighth and 24-year-old Dodgers rookie catcher Dalton Rushing on first base (having singled to right), Babe Ohtani crushed a 95.2-MPH four-seam fastball from Nationals right-hander Jackson Rutledge that just cleared the wall in left-center field for a 383-foot two-run home run making it 13-3 Dodgers.
(SportsNet LA)
“I thought he was considerably better today as far as the stuff, the life of the fastball, the command of his pitches, and, umm, much better,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Ohtani postgame.
The one down side to Sunday’s game was in Roberts’ attempt to try to rest his bullpen. To try to do so, Roberts had 33-year-old Dodgers utility infielder/outfielder Kiké Hernández enter the (then) 13-3 game to pitch the top of the ninth inning.
It was a disaster.
The San Juan, Puerto Rico native allowed four runs, two hits, and walked three of the six Nationals batters he faced before the light finally came on for Roberts. Although it may be entertaining for some for Roberts to have Hernández – or any position player – pitch, the score was 13-5 with one out and the bases loaded when Roberts finally replaced Kiké with 29-year-old Dodgers left-hander Alex Vesia for the final two outs. Not to belabor the point, but of Kiké’s 30 total pitches, only 11 were strikes, which was not entertaining for this veteran (old) baseball fan.
Worthy of mention, Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy homered twice in Sunday’s contest (including a grand slam), driving in seven of those 13 Dodgers runs.
Play Ball!
* * * * * *