“It’s one of my favorite ballparks, I was looking forward to pitching here” - Shohei Ohtani opens up about his love for Fenway Park after dominating the Boston Red Sox with eleven strikeouts
Shohei Ohtani didn't need to tell us how much he loved playing in Fenway Park yesterday. We already knew. The Los Angeles Angels multi-purpose superstar pitched seven scoreless innings. He threw 99 pitches and generated 81 strikes, 27 of which were whiffs. He struck out 11 Boston Red Sox hitters and consistently threw pitches around the 100 mph mark. At the plate, he hit two singles, batted in a run, and came around to score once. His club won 8-0. The American League's reigning Most Valuable Player reminded us why he was voted number one for the award instead of stars like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Aaron Judge. Ohtani can rule ball games, both from the mound and from the batter's box.
The Statcast leaderboard from today's Angels-Red Sox game.
Ohtani, Ohtani, Ohtani, Ohtani https://t.co/ejWtAyqpyy
"The Statcast leaderboard from today's Angels-Red Sox game. Ohtani, Ohtani, Ohtani, Ohtani" - @ Kyle Glaser
Yesterday's numbers told us that Ohtani loves playing in Fenway. But the superstar chimed in with words of his own after the game. As it turns out, Ohtani had been waiting for his moment to shine there.
Shohei Ohtani opens up about his love for Fenway Park
Who doesn't love Fenway Park? Built in 1912, it's the MLB's oldest ballpark that's still in use. It was the home of Boston Red Sox legends like Ted Williams and Tris Speaker. Now, it's also one of Shohei Ohtani's favorite ballparks.
In an article in "The Athletic," Angels beat writer Sam Blum recorded Ohtani's reaction to playing in the historic stadium.
"It’s one of my favorite ballparks," said Ohtani. "I was looking forward to pitching here. It left a really good impression on me.”
Ohtani reassured Blum that he was still human after his godlike performance. Throwing 99 pitches at high velocity over the span of two hours would exhaust anybody. Batting and running the bases is also tiring. Ohtani admitted both.
"To be honest, I was pretty fatigued," he said. "My body was pretty tired.”
Ohtani is one of the league's fiercest competitors. He gives his all in every game, and he's noticeably frustrated when the results don't come as he'd like. Despite that, don't be surprised if Angels skipper Joe Maddon rests Ohtani in Friday's home game versus the Washington Nationals. Nobody's more worthy of a day off than the versatile superstar.
"That was pretty special today."
Joe Maddon shares his thoughts following Ohtani's start and the series W against the Red Sox 🎙
#AngelsLive | @Angels https://t.co/qnLjhcnXAG
"'That was pretty special today.' Joe Maddon shares his thoughts following Ohtani's start and the series W against the Red Sox" - @ Bally Sports West
Speaking of Joe Maddon, he sang Ohtani's praises during a post-game interview on Thursday.
“I hope we don’t start taking that for granted like it’s old hat,” he said. “It’s just so unusual. It’s otherworldly on this level of this game.”
Nobody's taking Ohtani for granted right now. He's a legend on Babe Ruth's level. Without a doubt, he's a future Hall of Famer. If Ohtani keeps performing like he did in Fenway, we just might get used to it.