Shohei Ohtani and Adley Rutschman break 120 year MLB records on Opening Day

Shohei Ohtani and Adley Rutschman create history with their records on Opening Day of the MLB Regular Season.


Shohei Ohtani and Adley Rutschman break 120 year MLB records on Opening Day

Credits: Public Domain

The Opening Day for the 2023 MLB regular season was indeed a special one. This Thursday, many teams witnessed records being broken, and Shohei Ohtani is one of the record-breakers standing tall in the season. However, Ohtani won’t be much happy given his team, the Angels, lost to the Athletics in that match.

The Opening Day on Thursday heralded a new era for MLB with the new changes being implemented. In order to make baseball more fast-paced and suited to the demands of the fans, MLB has introduced a pitch clock, bigger bases, and prohibition of infield shifts.

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Besides Ohtani, Baltimore Orioles’ Adley Rutschman has also broken another record by being the first catcher to reach five hits on Opening Day, since 1900. Rustchman has reportedly been on the plate six times on that day and reached the base six times as well. He was 5 for 5, hitting a first-inning home run and four singles with a walk and four RBIs.

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Related: Shohei Ohtani breaks MLB records with $65m salary and endorsements

Shohei Ohtani and Adley Rutschman create history by breaking 120-year Opening Day records

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Adley Rutschman (L) and Shohei Ohtani (R) Credits: Getty Images

Opening Day could not have been better for the fans, given two of the top players in the league have broken records that stood for 120 years. While Ohtani might not be as happy taking his record home after the Angels lost to the Athletics, his spectacular performance did leave a mark on those watching.

In the season opener at the AL West Conference against Oakland Athletics, Ohtani went on a rampage to strike out at least 10 batters. His outing made a record of 26-0, with the previous record being 25 since at least 1901. However, Ohtani’s team LA Angels went on to lose this match against the Athletics, despite the Japanese superstar making a spectacular record.

On the other hand, The Baltimore Orioles at the AL East conference faced the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. While they won the match 10-9, it was quite a tough and tight match for both teams. One of the greatest contributors to this initial victory for the Orioles is catcher Adley Rutschman.

Rutschman had a brilliant game in that match which very well translated to a solid victory for the Orioles. As ESPN’s Jeff Passan writes, Rutschman was on the plate six times and reached the base an equal number of times. He was 5 for 5, with a first-inning home run and four singles which included a walk and four RBIs.

Rutschman is the first catcher to achieve this feat of having five hits on Opening Day since at least 1900. All such incidents do prove that the MLB has turned quite exciting for this regular season and promises much thrilling and exciting journey coming ahead for the baseball fans.

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