"Honestly, I didn't know it was my first one. I thought I had hit one in Japan" - Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani surprises himself with a career first
After a slow start to the season, Shohei Ohtani has returned to his MVP caliber form and electrified fans with the first grand slam of his career. While he has hit an absurd number of home runs over the course of his career, none had ever come with the bases loaded until the May 9 game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
A grand slam obviously requires some good fortune, as the player who hits it has no control as to whether or not the bases will be loaded ahead of him. Despite this, it was surprising to everybody, Shohei Ohtani included, that one of the many homers hit throughout his career was worth the maximum of four runs.
Mike DiGiovanna posted the comments from the superstar who has played professionally in Japan and in North America via a tweet.
“Honestly, I didn’t know that was my first one. In my head, I thought I hit one in Japan, but I guess not.” Shohei Ohtani has accomplished so much, but the #Angels two-way star did something in 11-3 win over #Rays that he's never done: hit a grand slam.
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"Honestly, I didn’t know that was my first one. In my head, I thought I hit one in Japan, but I guess not." - Shohei Ohtani, via @ Mike DiGiovanna
Career firsts are rare for a player of his caliber, but the player and his team are both thrilled to achieve another first for one of the top players in the MLB.
Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout are the best pairing in the MLB
Going into the 2022 season, it was clear that the Los Angeles Angels would be taken as far as their superstars could carry them, and their superstars have proven to be worthy of the titles, with the team currently in first place of the American League West. Mike Trout has been a known commodity in baseball for his entire career, with three MVP selections and nine All-Star nods, Mike Trout is Hall of Fame bound.
Shohei Ohtani was less of a sure thing coming into 2022, as many feared he would be unable to recreate the success of his MVP season in 2021. Thankfully for the baseball world, that does not seem to be the case, as the phenom continues to dominate from the mound and in the batter's box like only he can.
Jared Carrabis on Twitter contextualized just how brilliant this pairing has been and what they could mean for the history of the game.
Witnessing Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani going back to back on consecutive swings feels like the stuff you tell your grandkids about when you’re 90.
"Witnessing Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani going back to back on consecutive swings feels like the stuff you tell your grandkids about when you’re 90" - @ Jared Carrabis
The Los Angeles Angels and their pair of stars will be a must-watch all season long, and I have a strong feeling that this career first grand slam will be just one of many career highlights that are produced in 2022.