Shohei Ohtani hit for the cycle and made it look effortless. His first at-bat came with runners on and no outs. He almost tried to bunt but bailed and crushed a two-seam fastball for a three-run homer. He didn’t need small ball when he could take a fastball deep instead. Next at-bat, he jumped on a first-pitch cutter from Yarbrough and lined it into left for a double.
Yarbrough changed the approach in Ohtani’s third at-bat, going almost all curveballs. The count went full, and Ohtani stayed patient. The Rays positioned him to hit the other way, but after all off-speed pitches, he pulled a triple down the line without much effort. The poor defensive alignment didn’t help the Rays.
For his final at-bat, Ohtani faced Hunter Wood. He fouled off multiple fastballs and hung in until he got a slider, which he flipped into shallow center for a single to complete the cycle. He didn’t even seem fazed. His teammates got excited, handed him the ball, and told him what just happened. Ohtani looked amused, like he hadn’t even thought about it. Just another day for one of the most complete hitters in baseball.