Los Angeles two-way star Shohai Otani will begin his team’s next pitching start in Kansas City on Saturday, according to manager Dave Roberts.
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Otani is making his third start of the season after pitching one inning previously in his last two outings against the San Diego Padres and the Washington Nationals. Both appearances were at Stadium, so this marks the Otani’s first road start.
On June 16th, Otani made his long-awaited pitching debut with the . Ticket prices for the series opener Padres have skyrocketed following the team’s announcement that Otani would make the first start of the season.
Otani was tasked with facing Padres lineup head Fernando Tatis Jr., three-time batting champions Luis Arez and Manny Machado.
The right-hander allowed him to score a run with two hits. Otani certainly showed rust, so he passed one inning on 28 pitches.
Otani looked much sharper in the second start of the season as he pitched a scoreless inning on 18 pitches. The 30-year-old had two strikeouts and was the first to win against Louis Garcia Jr.
It is unclear how many innings Otani will be pitched in the ‘ third start. However, Roberts previously said that two-way stars may not accumulate in full.
“I think we’re always cautious,” Roberts said. “So, I don’t even know what it looks like, “It’s completely built up.” It’s not a regular pitcher, so everyone knows what it looks like.
The rely on Otani bats in their lineup, so any kind of production a team can get from Otani on the mound is considered a big plus.
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Photo credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Image
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