"Shohei Ohtani wasn't throwing hard and he struck me out" - When Reds star recounted facing Japanese ace to former Yankees coach

Cincinnati Reds star Matt McLain has faced several pitchers in his short career, having debuted in May 2023. He has played 89 games, hitting .290/.357/.507 with 16 home runs, 50 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. In a recent podcast appearance, he recounted facing Shohei Ohtani in 2023.

During an interaction with former Yankees coach Sean Casey earlier this year on "The Mayor's Office," the host asked McLain if he ever got a chance to face Ohtani at the plate.

McLain recalled how the then-Angels star made easy work of him through his splitter to strike him out.

​

​

"He struck me out, and that was towards his UCL injury," McLain said (19:30 onwards). "So, he wasn’t throwing hard at all, and he struck me out. He threw me a splitter—nasty, right? Yeah. And he hadn’t thrown it in like two or three starts.

"I remember thinking, 'Forget about the splitter, make him a fastball-slider guy,' and then he rips it. I’m just like—it was a terrible swing. It was a 55-footer, and I swung at it."

​

Matt McLain uses Arizona Fall League to get into swing of things

Matt McLain hasn't played since Sept. 2023 due to a right oblique strain. The following season, in 2024, he missed the entirety of the season due to his shoulder surgery.

Now that he has recovered from his surgery, he is playing in the ongoing Arizona Fall League, where he once played as a prospect in 2022.

On Thursday, playing for the Glendale Desert Dogs, the Reds star went 3-for-5 with three RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base, his first in a while.

So far across 50 AFL at-bats, McLain has hit .240 with four home runs.

Matt McLain's AFL stint could work well for the Reds given their second base problem. In lieu of getting more at-bats, McLain has played some games in the outfield. This should help the Reds while fixing their lineup, having Jonathan India at second base and possibly having McLain playing outfield in 2025.

​