“Thought I had hit one in Japan” – Angels’ Shohei Ohtani hits first grand slam as a pro against Rays
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Shohei Ohtani
Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani hit a game-tying, two-run double off the left-centre-field wall with two outs in the ninth inning, completing an unlikely come-from-behind win over the Washington Nationals on Sunday.
The Japanese Major League Baseball (MLB) talent stated that he believed his swing was finally getting close to where he wanted it to be. This took place after a relatively slow start to the year offensively.
The 27-year-old Ohtani’s premonition turned out to be true, as he smacked two homers, including his first career grand slam. This led the Angels to a one-sided 11-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in Monday’s series opener at Angel Stadium. This marked the second multi-homer game this season for Ohtani and the eighth of his overall career.
“He’s always been an honest person, right?” Angels manager Joe Maddon said, as quoted by MLB.com. “He has looked better. The ball has gone to the left center. He was just getting beneath everything, but now the angle is better off the bat. Wow, if we can keep him right there for several months.”
“Definitely having the most fun right now”
Talking about his performance, Shohei Ohtani was on cloud nine, saying “he’s having the most fun right now.”
“I’m definitely having the most fun right now,” Ohtani said through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. “I’m not having the best offensive year right now but the team is winning, which is the most important thing. We’re going to try to continue the hot streak.”
“I wasn’t really sitting on any particular pitch,” Ohtani said. “The ball was in the zone and I put a good swing on it. Trout set the tone the previous at-bat with that home run. Honestly, I didn’t know it was my first one. I thought I had hit one in Japan.”
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Sachin Arora
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