Australian pitcher shares brilliant breakdown of his memorable one-on-one matchup versus Shohei Ohtani: "He’s the best"
With his team trailing 7-0 and Shohei Ohtani approaching the plate, one would understand if Todd Van Steensel wanted to put his head in his glove and go home. Quite the opposite. Van Steensel was relishing the challenge of facing one of the world's greatest.
In front of 42,000 at the Tokyo Dome (that would have been thrilled to see him embarrass himself), the odds were against the righty pitcher.
Ohtani had already homered once in the game to bring in Lars Nootbaar and Kensuke Kondoh. He was in the form of his life. Van Steensel, however, decided to take a philosophical approach:
"If he hits a home run, he’s supposed to. He’s the best… but if you get him out, that’s a fun memory to have forever"
In a recent Tweet, Van Steensel provided fans with a glimpse of what it’s like to face Ohtani. He gave a detailed breakdown of his thought process during his memorable showdown.
Absolutely nobody asked for this, but this is a fun little breakdown of what went through my head as I faced Shohei Ohtani in the WBC
My main thought was “If he hits a home run, he’s supposed to. He’s the best… but if you get him out, that’s a fun memory to have forever” 😊 https://t.co/FAOF76SHh7
"Absolutely nobody asked for this, but this is a fun little breakdown of what went through my head as I faced Shohei Ohtani in the WBC My main thought was 'If he hits a home run, he’s supposed to. He’s the best… but if you get him out, that’s a fun memory to have forever'" - Todd Van Steensel
The loud and boisterous crowd had high expectations. The only thing standing between Ohtani and another special WBC moment was the Australian pitcher.
Van Steensel proceeded to strikeout Ohtani on six pitches to record the first out of the sixth inning.
Shohei Ohtani was awarded the World Baseball Classic MVP after leading Team Japan to a record third championship
Van Steensel went on to call Shohei Ohtani "the best" in his Tweet. A fair assessment considering the two-way superstar was crowned the World Baseball Classic MVP after a stellar tournament.
There it is! Japan wins the WBC for the 3rd time in history! 🇯🇵
🏆🏆🏆 https://t.co/4iwSRlqU9D
"There it is! Japan wins the WBC for the 3rd time in history!" - FOX Sport: MLB
Overall, Ohtani finished with a home run, eight RBIs, 10 hits, nine runs, eight walks and a stolen base.
Todd Van Steensel may not have had the career Ohtani has had, but he will have a phenomenal story to share with his grandchildren. The 32-year-old had stints with the Philadelphia Phillies and Minnesota Twins in the minor leagues, but this moment has to be the pinnacle of his baseball career.