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Shohei Ohtani has been nothing but a blessing for the game of baseball. After a dominant 2021 season for the Los Angeles Angels, the two-way phenom has started the 2022 season with a bang.

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Notably, on the opening day of the 2022 season, the Angels clashed with the Houston Astros. And as usual, Ohtani was brilliant at both the plate and mound. Whether he was pitching or hitting, he appeared to be big trouble for the Astros’ players.

Read more: Another Day, Another Record For Shohei Ohtani As He Secures Another MLB First To Start Off 2022

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The Japanese superstar also created history on the opening day itself. He became the first-ever baseball player to throw the first pitch and also face the first pitch of the season.

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Shohei Ohtani is here to stay

Although LA Angels lost their opening day game to the Houston Astros, Shohei Ohtani was the star of the game. The reigning American League MVP had nine strikeouts in the first game of the season. And out of his 80 pitches, Ohtani had just one walk and allowed just four hits. And three of his strikeouts came against the Astros star, Jose Altuve. He was not even able to see Ohtani’s pitches.

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USA Today via Reuters

Taking to Twitter, Talkin Yanks shared a short clip of Ohtani’s gameplay from the opening day game. In the video, one can easily watch how difficult his pitching is. If he continues to perform like this for the rest of the season, then there is no doubt he’ll win sweep all individual awards.

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Because in the last season, Ohtani had a phenomenal year both with the bat and ball. That also led him to win the AL MVP Award. As a hitter, Ohtani smashed a total of 46 home runs, while with the ball, he had 156 strikeouts in 130.1 innings.

However, despite Ohtani’s brilliance in the ballpark, the Astros defeated 3-1 the LA Angels in the opening day game. Being a two-way player, fans often compare him with the legendary Babe Ruth. And if Ohtani continues to play like this, then that day is not far when he’ll have his name etched in the history of MLB.

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

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Written by

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Abhishek Kumar

1,353 Articles

Abhishek Kumar is a Newsroom Editor at EssentiallySports with over three years of editorial experience across multiple sports. He joined as a Yankees beat reporter during the 2022 MLB season before quickly rising to lead editorial and content strategy for the MLB division. His deep knowledge of baseball, combined with expertise across the NFL, NBA, Tennis, and Soccer, has shaped him into one of ES’s versatile newsroom leaders.

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Simar Singh Wadhwa

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