April 3, 2018: Shohei Ohtani’s home debut with Angels is a blast (and two singles)

It was Shotime! in Anaheim. Shohei Ohtani, the two-way Japanese star who signed with the Los Angeles Angels in the 2017-18 offseason, was making his home debut in the Angels’ sixth game of 2018, against the Cleveland Indians. He served as the designated hitter in this game – his home debut as a pitcher was a few days later.1

The Angels’ plan was that the 23-year-old Ohtani – a Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighter in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball for five seasons before signing with Los Angeles for a $2.315 million bonus – would pitch every sixth day and play as the designated hitter in some games between starts.2 He had made his major-league debut in the Angels’ first game in Oakland, on March 29, going 1-for-5 with a single. (Three days later, in his first pitching appearance with the Angels, he had earned his first big-league win by allowing three runs in six innings against the A’s.)

Ohtani’s first hit – in the only game in which he had batted prior to April 3 – had done little to quell the concerns of the media and Angels fans regarding his ability to play at the major-league level. His spring-training statistics were not encouraging,3 but he had had cold starts in his Japanese preseasons as well.4

The Angels (3-2) had continued their 12-game losing streak against Cleveland (2-2) – which dated to June 2016 – in their home opener the previous night, losing 6-0.

Ohtani was batting eighth, just as he did in his March 29 start. Garrett Richards, back in the Angels’ rotation after missing most of the 2016 and 2017 seasons with injuries, was making his second start of the season. His first, on Opening Day, had not gone particularly well – four runs and three walks in five innings for a 7.20 ERA.5

This game began by looking like more of the same when Richards walked leadoff batter Francisco Lindor. One out later, José Ramírez, who had finished third in the 2017 American League MVP voting, homered for his first hit of the year, giving Cleveland an early 2-0 lead. The Indians put two more runners on base in the first on an error and another walk, but Richards kept the deficit from getting any bigger.

Josh Tomlin took the mound for Cleveland for the first time in 2018. Mike Trout gave the home crowd something to cheer about almost immediately. His one-out line drive hit the center-field wall above the newly-lowered yellow “home run” line,6 so although the ball stayed on the field, he had cut the Indians’ lead in half with his second homer of the season.

Justin Upton, Albert Pujols – who began the night just 29 hits away from 3,000 in his career – and Kole Calhoun followed with singles, tying the game. That triggered a mound visit from the pitching coach and the infield.

Andrelton Simmons grounded toward third; Ramírez grabbed the ball and tagged Pujols with his glove – but the ball was in his other hand. Still, Pujols was called out for being out of the baseline.

There were two outs, but Luis Valbuena walked, loading the bases. Ohtani came to the plate to the roar of the fans. If they had any doubts about the wisdom of signing him,7 they didn’t affect the volume of the cheering. As usual, he was wearing extra padding on his elbow and the back of his pitching hand.

Tomlin’s fourth pitch bounced away from the catcher, allowing a run to score. Ohtani sent the sixth pitch well into the center-field stands8 and the crowd of 35,007 into a frenzy. The three-run homer gave the Angels a 6-2 lead.

When Ohtani returned to the dugout, his teammates gave him the silent treatment for a few seconds but he ended that by hugging Ian Kinsler and the congratulations began.9 The fans demanded a curtain call, which he gave them, after Trout pointed him in the direction of the dugout steps since Ohtani was unfamiliar with this major-league tradition.10 René Rivera, the ninth man to bat in the inning, flied out. But the Angels had scored six runs, giving them a lead they did not relinquish.

Richards settled in after the first inning. He struck out the side in the top of the second and allowed a walk in the third, a walk in the fourth, and no baserunners in the fifth.

Upton added to the Angels’ lead in the bottom of the second with his first homer of the year, making it a 7-2 game.

Another Angel homered in the third. This time it was Valbuena, again into the center field stands. Ohtani followed with a single that glanced off second baseman Jason Kipnis’s glove. Ohtani took a significant lead off first, diving back to beat the attempted pickoff throws. He was left there when Rivera flied out with the score 8-2, Angels.

Dan Otero took over the pitching for Cleveland in the bottom of the fourth and held the Angels hitless, but his second inning of work was not as successful. Pujols singled (his 2,973rd career hit11) to lead off the fifth and resume the Angels’ onslaught. Simmons hit a one-out double to score Pujols, and Valbuena walked again. After Ohtani looked at strike three for the second out, Rivera’s double scored two more. The Angels led 11-2 at the end of the fifth.

Richards collected two more strikeouts in the top of the sixth, but after a walk and a wild pitch, Angels manager Mike Scioscia decided to pull him at 102 pitches. Despite his rocky beginning, Richards had pitched 6⅔ innings, struck out nine, and allowed only one hit (along with four walks). Jim Johnson got the third out by striking out Roberto Pérez.

Matt Belisle had pitched the scoreless final inning of the previous night’s Cleveland win. He continued his relief success with clean bottoms of the sixth and seventh frames.12 Johnson did the same for the top of the seventh and Blake Parker for the top of the eighth.

Ohtani collected his third hit of the day, another single, to open the home half of the eighth. Rivera followed with a two-run homer, the Angels’ fifth home run of the game. Rivera originally stopped at second, but after a crew-chief review it was determined that the ball had hit the scoreboard above the yellow line, so the umpires waved him around to score.13 That brought the score to the final 13-2, Angels, emphatically breaking their losing streak to Cleveland. Blake Wood closed out the game with a one-two-three ninth inning.

Most fans stayed to see the postgame interview with Ohtani, facilitated by his translator. The translator and interviewer evaded the Gatorade shower, but Ohtani reveled in it – he was expecting it, as he had seen that when watching MLB games.14

By the time the 2018 season was over, Ohtani had erased any doubts about his ability to play in the major leagues – he hit .285 with 22 home runs for an OPS of .925 – and was voted AL Rookie of the Year.15

The Angels’ team results were not as memorable: They finished 80-82 and missed the postseason. Cleveland won the AL Central Division but lost to the Houston Astros in the ALDS.

Acknowledgments

This article was fact-checked by Bruce Slutsky and copy-edited by Len Levin.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org for pertinent information, including the box score and play-by-play. She also viewed the recorded game on YouTube (Angels broadcast).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJW3UhFqSP8

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2018/B04030ANA2018.htm

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ANA/ANA201804030.shtml

Notes

1 As the rules were in 2018, a player could not pitch and stay in the game as the designated hitter after he finished pitching. That was changed in March 2022 – the change being colloquially dubbed “The Ohtani Rule.” Jack Baer, “MLB Adds Shohei Ohtani Rule to Universal DH,” sports.yahoo.com, March 22, 2022, https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb-adds-shohei-ohtani-rule-to-universal-dh-223355459.html.

2 The Angels were using a six-man rotation to more closely follow Ohtani’s routine in Japan. His availability as a designated hitter in at least some games between starts made that roster construction possible. Jeff Miller, “Behind Ache-Ball, Richards Leads Off Rotation for Angels, Who Hope Extra Rest Improves Rotation,” Los Angeles Times, March 29, 2018: D1. Jeff Miller, “Angels Survive Late Scare,” Los Angeles Times, March 31, 2018: D1.

3 He batted .125 in the Cactus League, 4-for-32, all singles. Janie McCauley, “Ohtani Singles in His First At-Bat,” Palm Springs (California) Desert Sun, March 30, 2018: C1. Bob Nightengale, “Angels’ Ohtani Staying Confident,” Palm Springs Desert Sun, March 23, 2018: 1C.

4 Dylan Hernandez, “Ohtani Calm in Cold Spring,” Los Angeles Times, March 17, 2018: D3.

5 Richards worked his ERA down to 3.66 in 16 starts, but his season ended abruptly on July 10 when it was determined that he would need Tommy John surgery. Maria Guardado, “Richards Opts to Undergo Tommy John Surgery,” mlb.com, July 11, 2018. https://www.mlb.com/news/garrett-richards-to-ave-tommy-john-surgery-c285379814.

6 David Adler, “Angels to Lower HR Boundary of Right-field Wall,” mlb.com: February 20, 2018. https://www.mlb.com/news/angels-lower-home-run-boundary-in-right-field-c266776238.

7 He received a $2.315 million signing bonus, would make the major-league minimum salary in 2018, and be under team control for six years – the same as a rookie drafted in the US. Maria Guardado, “Angels officially welcome 2-way star Ohtani,” mlb.com, December 9, 2017, https://www.mlb.com/angels/news/angels-officially-introduce-shohei-ohtani-c263185848.

8 The ball ended up in the hands of a nine-year-old boy attending his first baseball game. He was interviewed during the game by the Angels’ sideline reporter. He promised that he would meet Ohtani after the game and give him the ball.

9 Jeff Miller, “Ohtani Stars at the Plate This Time,” Los Angeles Times, April 4, 2018: D5.

10 Associated Press, “Shohei Ohtani Homers in His 1st Home AB, Angels Beat Indians 13-2,” Manhattan (Kansas) Mercury, April 4, 2018: B2.

11 There was a counter above the stands in the ballpark that was counting up to his 3,000th hit (which he achieved on May 4, 2018). The Angels distributed bobbleheads with a built-in counter so fans could count along.

12 It didn’t last. By May 1 he had a 5.06 ERA and was released. He signed with the Twins, finished 2018 with a 7.86 ERA and retired.

13 Because the yellow line is at the bottom of the out-of-town scoreboard with the scores in white lights it is difficult for umpires, fans, and players to see whether the ball hits above or below the line.

14 “Shohei Ohtani Homers.”

15 The award was based more on his hitting, rather than his pitching. Injuries limited his pitching appearances to 10 games (4-2, 3.31 ERA).