“He’s Awesome”- Houston Astros Ace Justin Verlander Is in Awe of Shohei Ohtani After Facing Him on Opening Day

Published 04/10/2022, 11:50 AM EDT

Shohei Ohtani and baseball are match-made in heaven. The LA Angels superstar is so good with his gameplay that even opposition players do not shy away from praising the Japanese superstar.

Notably, Ohtani became the first-ever baseball player in MLB history to start the pitching and hitting both on the opening day of the regular season. And how? Ohtani dominated the opening day game against the Houston Astros.

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However, after watching Ohtani’s extraordinary gameplay, the Astros’ pitcher Justin Verlander praised him despite being a rival player. Verlander said that he looks forward to a lot of fun battles with him in the league.

Shohei Ohtani has a new fan in Justin Verlander

Be it on the mound or the plate, there is no better player than Shohei Ohtani in Major League Baseball. Over the last two years, Ohtani has been sensational in MLB. And the reigning American League MVP has started the 2022 season with a bang.

Although the LA Angels lost the game to the Astros, ‘Shotime’ impressed everyone with his extraordinary skills. After the opening day game, the Astros pitcher Justin Verlander heaped praise on Ohtani.

Verlander said he’s a big fan of Ohtani, especially after watching him in person on Opening Day pic.twitter.com/1xQ61GvHje
— Brian T. Smith (@ChronBrianSmith) April 10, 2022

Verlander said Ohtani is just awesome and watching him play was one of the coolest things for him. “That was one of the most impressive and cool things I’ve seen in a long time. He’s awesome,” said Verlander.

LA Angels Superstar Shohei Ohtani Shines On Opening Day Game Against Houston Astros, Hitless Against Jose Altuve

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Notably, Verlander was the starter for the Astros and he played a crucial role in his team’s victory. He also struck Ohtani out three times, and he looks forward to playing him in the future. “Just because I struck him out 3 times (tonight) doesn’t mean much. I think we’ll have a lot of fun battles, him & I,” added Justin Verlander.

Justin Verlander on watching Shohei Ohtani pitch & hit Thursday: “That was one of the most impressive and cool things I’ve seen in a long time. He’s awesome. … Just because I struck him out 3 times (tonight) doesn’t mean much. I think we’ll have a lot of fun battles, him & I.”
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) April 10, 2022

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Given his current form in MLB, if Ohtani continues to play like this. Then he is all set to retain the AL MVP Award.

Watch This Story: How The MLB Lockout Could Affect Ohtani’s Contract and Free Agency

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Written by:

Abhishek Kumar is an MLB author at EssentiallySports. After completing his Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, Abhishek has been working in the media industry since two years. Before joining EssentiallySports, he previously worked at APN News as a sub-editor, where he has written articles on sports and politics.

Edited by:

Paras Pande

“He’s Awesome”- Houston Astros Ace Justin Verlander Is in Awe of Shohei Ohtani After Facing Him on Opening Day

Shohei Ohtani has a new fan in Justin Verlander

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