Shohei Ohtani is definitely not playing. There is something within him that is speaking, “Keep pushing; do not stop,” because he is not stopping. The adrenaline in his mind and body combined is making him excel even more than what we were anticipating. It is starting to look like baseball has its own debuts, and Ohtani has his. It is as if he has created another segment or another way of doing things in the MLB. The truth is, he has always been good. He has always delivered, and he has always proved us wrong whenever we thought he could not make it, despite his surgery and health condition.
The bigger, the better; it did not matter how big the stage was
This time around, the audience was bigger. We are talking of 50,000-plus people, and you would expect him to be nervous (which we do not dispute he was), but that did not stop him; it motivated him. This was a new chapter for him, something so special that he can look back and know that his early mornings and the fight to heal from his surgery were worth it.
The stadium sort of injected energy into Ohtani. From fans capturing moments, resharing, reposting, and cheering, it all filled the stadium. So, this player has been away because of his injury, but what is the best way to show up after an injury? It is obvious to show the world that you are healed and better than ever. Whatever conversations he had with himself, Shohei Ohtani came through for himself again.
Ohtani reached 100 mph once more, and the audience erupted in excitement
Not even Ohtani himself saw this one coming. Just after coming from recovery, he topped out at 100.1 mph, the fastest he has ever done after returning to the field. He struck out three in 1â…” innings, providing fans with a delightful taste of Ohtani in his prime. Just heat and accuracy, no runs. This made him the first MLB player to ever do it and pitch in a game for two different teams.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed himself,
“I was just kind of hoping for a more tempered 97, 96 than 100. But when you’re a competitor, you’re just trying to get guys out. And if you have 100 in the tank, you’re going to use it. And that’s what he does.”
However, while everyone is screaming and shouting, the player himself does not seem satisfied or excited. How? Because this is the same player who broke a 73-year-old record with an incredible performance. This is what he had to say,
“Not quite happy with the results overall, but I think the biggest takeaway for me is that I feel good enough to be able to go out for my next outing.”
It does not take away that Ohtani is still an A+
- He is still regarded as elite because of how fast and focused he is.
- He made sure to make every pitch count, despite how limited he was.
- He is still a cool MLB player.
The Dodgers are smiling, happy because now every other team knows that if Ohtani is back and healthy, then they are a threat and should watch out for more pitches and wins in the future. The surprising part about all this is that Shohei Ohtani was never this good. He worked hard to be where he is. Another thing that pulled him down was the surgery; it placed him in a vulnerable position, and he was not himself. However, an appreciation to the Dodgers for allowing him to take time to heal and make a strong comeback. Now, do we really need an automated ball strike system when we have players like Ohtani?
