Shohei Ohtani hits for the cycle, a breakdown
What Happened
Shohei Ohtani, the two-way superstar for the Los Angeles Angels, takes the field against the Tampa Bay Rays. Ryan Yarbrough of the Rays is on the mound to start the game. In the first inning, Ohtani steps up to the plate with two men on base and no outs. He contemplates bunting to advance the runners, but then unloads on a two-seam fastball, driving it over the wall for a towering three-run home run. "The way the ball comes off Ohtani's bat is just so special," the announcer remarks. In Ohtani's next at-bat, he ropes a stand-up double into left field off Yarbrough. The Rays then try a steady diet of curveballs, but Ohtani refuses to bite, working a full count before lacing a triple down the line. "They were playing him to go the other way, but he just pulled it down the line for the easiest stand-up triple," the announcer notes. Now facing reliever Hunter Wood in his final at-bat, Ohtani sees mostly fastballs. After fouling off a couple, Wood tries a slider, which Ohtani pokes into shallow center field for a single, completing the cycle. "I don't even know if he knew about it or cared about it," the announcer says, as Ohtani's teammates excitedly retrieve the ball for him. "Anything to make you guys happy, I guess," Ohtani says with a shrug. Ohtani's historic performance has put the Angels firmly in control of this game against the Rays. His ability to impact the game on both sides of the ball, as both a dominant pitcher and a feared slugger, is truly unmatched in today's MLB. The Angels dugout is buzzing with excitement over Ohtani's accomplishment, even if the humble superstar doesn't seem to fully grasp the magnitude of what he's just achieved.
Full Transcript
Click timestamps to jump to that momentShohei Otani hit for the cycle yesterday
we got Yarbrough the boar pitching for
the Rays opening them up with a
curveball away now Otani thinks about
bunting because you got two on move
these guys into scoring position
no outs get a run in the first inning
set the tone just score one thinks about
bunting him over you're gross like okay
next pitch one one fastball two seamer
and he just rocks that for a three-run
home run yeah that's better than a bunt
I think oh my god I was you buggin
bunted home run dude the way the ball
comes off Oh time he's bad his special
it's pretty cool
so now Yarbrough first pitch I don't
know what that was some sort of cutter
or something and he just ropes that into
left field for a stand-up double he slid
but he could have stood up it's like
[ __ ] this guy huh now in his third
at-bat it's still Yarber and he goes no
more of my fast pitches we're just going
curveball curveball one one curveball
one two nice curve ball ball he didn't
bite curve ball ball I'm didn't give you
the call he didn't bite now it's 3 2
curveball puts it in play they were
playing him to go Oppo again but he fed
them all curve balls so he just pulled
it down the line for the easiest
stand-up triple gotta get on the same
page defense and pitcher there I mean
he's giving him all off-speed and you're
playing I'm gonna go opposite way and
his last and final at-bat he's facing
hunter wood who's now giving him all
fast balls fastball fastball has him 1 1
fastball right down the middle he misses
it 1 2 fastball up he doesn't bite on
the high pitch they go changeup low
doesn't bite on that 3-2 fastball
doesn't he fouls that off so they go
fastball again fouls that off finally
they try a slider he's I'll just poke
that into shallow center for a single
and complete this cycle except I don't
even know if he knew about it or cared
about it Everage teammates did get him
the ball get him the ball get them balls
coach like you know you just hit the
cycle huh he's like oh you care that's
cool you guys like that over here
alright cool just anything to make you
guys happy I guess yeah I'll take the
ball and there's the ball nice