Shohei Ohtani stepped up to the plate on June 29 with two home runs already in the game. Nestor Cortes was on the mound, facing one of the league’s hottest hitters. Ohtani had been on a tear, launching home runs almost daily through late June. Cortes, known for his unpredictable delivery, decided to go deep into his bag of tricks. He threw Ohtani three different deliveries during the at-bat: a quick pitch, a standard windup, and a bizarre multi-pump motion that had everyone confused, including the umpire. On his wildest attempt, Cortes went through 10 or 11 leg pumps so slowly the ump eventually stepped in and stopped him.
Despite the chaos, Ohtani stayed composed. He managed to make solid contact on a 78 mph curveball but didn’t get enough to put it out. The outfielder tracked it down for the third out, and both players were laughing as they walked off. Ohtani seemed amused, shrugging to his teammates about what just happened. Cortes’ antics may have worked in that moment. He threw off the timing of the most dangerous hitter in the game and got the out. It was a rare scene: two elite players in a strange and entertaining face-off where timing, deception, and humor all played a part.