Shohei Ohtani had a night to remember on his first pitch as a pitcher of the 2021 season. Though it ended on a serendipitous play where multiple runs were scored, there’s no question that, especially early on, the start brought all the electricity fans could. having waited with the two-way star on the mound and at the plate.
It was clear that a historic night awaited us when the Angels’ lineup came out, confirming what manager Joe Maddon had hinted at all week: Ohtani was hitting second during his first pitching start of the year. He became the first player to start as a pitcher and No. 2 in the order since Jack Dunleavy in 1903. The only other player to do that since at least 1901? Watty Lee, in 1902.
one – In this game, Ohtani threw 101 mph and homered at 115.2 mph that was 451 feet. Any one of those numbers, individually, would be notable to a player in a game. But for the same player to do that in the same play? Unheard. In fact, it was only the 40th team game in the Statcast Era where there was a ball hit over 115 mph and a 100 mph pitch from no player on that team. According to research by MLB.com research and development manager Jason Bernard, Ohtani became the first player with a ball hit over 110 mph and a pitch over 100 mph in the same game followed by Statcast (since 2015). There were nine cases if we lowered the minimum exit speed to 105 mph instead: Noah Syndergaard (eight times) and Aroldis Chapman.
two – Before Ohtani on Sunday, only one pitcher had thrown a pitch over 100 mph and even hit a home run over 100 mph in the same game: Syndergaard, May 27, 2015, May 11, 2016 (two home runs 100 mph), and August 16, 2016.
3 – Ohtani threw nine pitches over 100 mph, the second-most by an Angels starter in a game in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008), behind only 10 for Ervin Santana on June 25, 2008. He has now thrown 16 pitches over 100 mph in his career. Santana, at the start of ’08, is the only other Angels pitcher to hit 100 mph as a starter in that span.
4 – He hit 101.1 mph, tying the fastest pitch of his career. That’s also the fastest pitch by a starter this season. It’s an even more impressive pitching velocity reading when you consider that Ohtani’s 115.2 mph home run is the most hit long ball so far in 2021. Sure, we’ve only been four days into the season, but we’ve already seen a lot of ace pitches. and there have been a lot of home runs.
5 – Since Ohtani produced both the 101.1 mph pitch and the 115.2 mph home run in the same game, leading all contestants in the contest in each category, this was the eleventh instance in which the same pitcher had the hardest pitch and the strongest batted ball in the same game since Statcast began tracking in 2015, according to Bernard. The last pitcher to do so was Syndergaard on May 29, 2019, with a double of 108.4 mph and a pitch of 100.4 mph.
6 – Ohtani’s home run was not only the fastest of the year, it is also the strongest hitted ball by a pitcher followed by Statcast, surpassing a 112.5 mph home run by Madison Bumgarner in 2017. It is also the most hit home run by a US player. Angeles followed by Statcast.
7 – The implications of Statcast are clear, but it’s worth noting that here’s a story that goes back to before 2015. When he hit a home run, Ohtani became the first AL starting pitcher to homer against an American League team. American League since Roric Harrison on the last day of the 1972 season, and the last day of the regular season without a designated hitter on the youth circuit. He also became the first starting pitcher since at least 1901 with a home run hitting first or second in a game.