Watch: Shohei Ohtani showcases his deadly pitching arsenal, throws a fastball and a backdoor slider
LA Angels sensation Shohei Ohtani was on fire on Wednesday night against the Houston Astros in the final game of their series at Minute Maid Ballpark in Houston, Texas.
Ohtani, the 24-year-old pitcher-hitter phenomenon, was throwing fire from the mound. He began the game with a pair of strikeouts and did not look back. Ohtani did not surrender a hit until a single from Astros catcher Jason Castro closed the book on Ohtani's day in the bottom of the sixth inning. By the end of it, he had struck out 12 Astros and allowed the sole hit.
Let's take a look at what Ohtani was throwing to keep the Astros bats guessing.
Shohei Ohtani treats fans to his dynamic pitching, strikes out 12
Of the 18 outs that Ohtani recorded on Wednesday, 12 were strikeouts. Ohtani was able to rely on a plethora of pitches to ensure that his opponents always kept guessing. The LA Angels ended up sealing the Houston Astros' fate with a deciding score of 6-0 in favor of the California ballclub.
First, Ohtani's slider was on full display. The exaggerated slider known as the sweeper is popular among Japanese pitchers as it is a common pitch in Japan's Nippon League.
Shohei Ohtani caught Astros outfielder Michael Brantley looking with a slider that had an insane amount of movement.
Shohei Ohtani's Back Door Slider. 😲
Fastball & Back Door Slider, Individual Pitches + Overlay.
You can see why you'd give up on it! https://t.co/IKixHZTpO2
"Shohei Ohtani's Back Door Slider. Fastball & Back Door Slider, Individual Pitches + Overlay. You can see why you'd give up on it!" - @ Rob Friedman
Second in his deadly arsenal, Ohtani had his fastball working on point. Like any good pitcher, he mixes breaking ability with velocity. As you can see from the image used on the pitch tracker, the slider and the fastball ended up in virtually the exact same place.
Shohei Ohtani, 98mph Fastball and 91mph Splitter, Individual Pitches + Overlay https://t.co/V6HOK04byp
"Shohei Ohtani, 98mph Fastball and 91mph Splitter, Individual Pitches + Overlay" - @ Rob Friedman
It was a good performance for Shohei Ohtani's first win of the season after lagging in his first two starts. The LA Angels now have a record of 8-5, which is good enough for them to claim first spot in the American League West. Ohtani and his team will return home to Angels Stadium to take on the Cleveland Guardians this weekend.