Last year, for the first time in major league history, Ohtani Shohei (LA Angels), who filled both at bats and innings at the same time, is expected to further increase his pitching innings this year.
Angels manager Phil Nevin said in an interview with local media at the Diablo Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, where the team’s spring training camp was prepared on the 16th (Korean time), “Currently, I plan to operate the six starters at the beginning of the season with the concept of a swing man.” “The five starting pitchers will keep the five-day rest rotation if possible,” he said.
The Angels ran a rotation of six pitchers last season as well, but the six starters were fixed. However, this year, six starters will be operated with a pitcher who can go back and forth between the starter and the bullpen as a swing man. In other words, it means that there are more opportunities for the five regular starters to start.
Naturally, Ohtani will also pitch with a 5-day break. Previously, at a winter meeting in December of last year, manager Nevin said, “If possible, Ohtani will be on the mound following a 5-day break.”
The Angels’ five-man rotation is expected to be Ohtani, Tyler Anderson, Patrick Sandoval, Reed Detmus and Jose Suarez in that order. Among them, Anderson is a left-hander who signed a free agent contract for 3 years and 39 million dollars this winter and wears the Angels uniform. He threw 178⅔ innings in 30 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers last year, posting a record of 15 wins and 5 losses with a 2.57 ERA, making him a top-notch starter. Ohtani has finally found the second starter to properly lead the team.
Ohtani started 28 games last year and pitched 166 innings, posting a 15-9 record, a 2.33 ERA, and 219 strikeouts, ranking fourth in the American League Cy Young Award voting. Even as a pitcher, he can no longer be called an ace.
However, he maintained the pattern of getting enough rest and starting the mound. Last season, after a 5-day break, there were 12 games, and 16 games after a break of 6 days or more. He went 6-4 with a 1.61 ERA in 5 days of rest, and went 9-5 with a 2.89 ERA in 6 or more days of rest. It is the conclusion that starting after a 5-day break is ideal.
Ohtani will stop the team’s spring training on March 4 and join the World Baseball Classic (WBC) Japan national team. Since the WBC group stage and quarterfinals are held in Tokyo, Japan, and the schedule is to cross the Pacific Ocean again, the season preparation ‘routine’ is different compared to previous years. 안전놀이터
According to manager Nevin, Ohtani will be leaving camp immediately after taking the mound in an exhibition game against the Milwaukee Brewers on March 2nd. The point of rejoining the Angels camp depends on how far Japan advances, but since the finals will be held on March 22, it can be considered after that at the latest.
Ohtani will start as a starter for the opening match this year as well as last year. It’s the Oakland Athletics match at the Oakland Coliseum on March 31st. In the opening game last year, he suffered a loss against the Houston Astros with 4 hits, 1 walk, 9 strikes and 1 run in 4⅔ innings.