Shohei Ohtani and Yusei Kikuchi faced off in an MLB game with a unique backstory. Both players come from the same small town and attended the same high school in Japan. Kikuchi was the local star before Ohtani even entered high school, and Ohtani once looked up to him. Their first MLB matchup had a lot of meaning, especially back home. Kikuchi started strong, buzzing Ohtani with the first pitch and then getting him to ground one through the infield for an infield single after a solid off-speed sequence. Ohtani apologized mid-play after lightly bumping into Edwin Encarnacion, showing his usual respect on the field.
Later in the game, the Angels’ lineup broke open the scoring. Tommy La Stella homered off a 92 mph fastball. Mike Trout followed with another homer on the same pitch type. Then Ohtani stepped in for his next at-bat. Kikuchi switched it up, ditching the fastball and throwing a 75 mph curve. Ohtani sat on it and crushed it to left, making it three home runs in a row. The celebration showed all three hitters together, clearly enjoying the moment. Afterward, the dugout vibe was light. The players joked about who hit what pitch, breaking the language barrier with baseball shorthand. It was a big moment for Ohtani, Kikuchi, and their shared hometown.