ANGELINOUTFIELD— ANDONMOUND
Two- way Japanese star Ohtani someone we all can root for, right?
Who among us is not rooting for the Babe Ruth of Japan, Shohei Ohtani, other than perhaps the Bambino himself from the great beyond?
( I’ll say this: If Ohtani were a Yankee, I might have trouble rooting for him. The Yankees have collected a post- modern Murderers’ Row, with Manny Machado and maybe Bryce Harper on the way next season. As my Uncle Nathan used to say: ‘‘ The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; Yankees alone are quite capable of every wickedness.’’)
Japan’s finest pitcher/ hitter has come to America— well, California— to join the Angels.
Ohtani, 23, bats left- handed and pitches right- handed. Playing for the Nippon Ham Fighters, he was the Pacific League’s most valuable player in 2016. He hit .322 with 22 home runs in 323 at- bats, and he had a 10- 4 record with a 1.86 ERA and 174 strikeouts in 140 innings.
When he’s not pitching, Ohtani has been an outfielder and a designated hitter. The Angels plan to use him as part of a six- man pitching rotation, deviating from the standard five- man rotation, and likely as a DH.
( Probably the most successful six- man rotation of all time was the rock band Foreigner. The Trump White House also has experimented with it among its senior advisers.)
Ohtani has been a sensation in Japan. Ohtani- made gloves sell for $ 450 there. By comparison, you can exchange a Dennis Rodman basketball jersey in North Korea for a Blu- ray DVD of ‘‘ Weekend at Bernie’s.’’
For all the hype surrounding Ohtani— I haven’t been this excited since the 1981 debut of the McRib— this isn’t the first time the Angels have traveled down this two- way road.
Oh, you don’t rememberWillie Smith? Playing for the 1964 Angels, Smith, a left- hander, pitched in 15 games and was in the outfield for 87. He hit .301 with 11 homers and had a 2.84 ERA in 31‰ innings.
Of course, Smith’s numbers pale by comparison to the greatest twoway player ever, Alfred Kinsey.
I’m kidding. I mean Ruth himself.
Ruth was a starting pitcher for the Red Sox in 1914- 17 before transitioning to his dual role in 1918- 19. In those two seasons, he hit .312 with 40 homers and 174 RBI ( mostly as a left fielder) and had a 2.55 ERA in 299‰ innings, with 30 complete games in 34 starts.
He also was an unmatched twoway threat— eating and drinking — on most intercity train travel.
Conventional thinking says it is extremely difficult to be both a pitcher and a hitter. Fiddlesticks. I’ll tell you what’s a tough proposition: being both a Hatfield and a McCoy.
Not to diminish Ruth or Ohtani, but history has produced countless multifaceted professionals.
Isaac Newton was a physicist and a theologian.
Winston Churchill was a statesman and a writer, winning the 1953 Nobel Prize for literature.
Friedrich Engels was a Marxist and a fox hunter.
Benjamin Franklin might’ve been the greatest polymath — look it up, chumps— since Leonardo da Vinci: a politician, Freemason, author, inventor, even a postmaster. That’s right, he all but delivered the mail while flying a kite in a thunderstorm.
Walter RayWilliams Jr. is a bowling champion and a horseshoes champion.
Then there was Ferdinand Magellan. Not only did he navigate the Strait of Magellan in 1520— who couldn’t see that coming? — but he completed 25 Sudoku puzzles on deck daily before lunch.
Couch Slouch, by the way, can walk and chew gum at the same time. Check that: Couch Slouch can sit on the chesterfield and chew gum at the same time.
So, despite a rough spring training, Ohtani should be able to pitch and hit and overcome a minor elbow injury. I’d use a nonsteroidal anti- inflammatory or Flintstones Gummies.
Go get ’ em, Shohei!