It’s ‘shotime’ for baseball’s two-way Titan
Expect quite the show on Tuesday night. And quite ‘The Sho’ at Coors Field.
Yes ... there’s plenty of hype in the air for the Major League Baseball All-star Game.
For good reason. Shohei Ohtani has added to his two-way star-studded status.
The Los Angeles Angels stud is now a two-way allstar after being selected to the gala event as both hitter and pitcher.
That’s a first in MLB history after he was voted by the fans to be the AL’S starting designated hitter (63 runs, 69 RBIS, .279 batting average) and then was elected by fellow players to be one of the five starting pitchers (4-1, 3.49 ERA and 1.21 WHIP) for the junior circuit.
But ... wait ... there’s more on tap for Denver and baseball fans.
‘Shotime,’ who has more jacks than anyone else — 32 heading into Friday’s play — has also agreed to participate in the Home Run Derby. Wow!
Now that’s a full plate for the game’s sudden superstar, but it’s very much welcome during a time when egos, spin rates and investigations are out of control.
“It’s my first time, so I just want to enjoy everything,” Ohtani told Japanese media. “There’s also the Home Run Derby. So I’m looking forward to taking it all in and enjoying everything.” Everything?
That level of enthusiasm is seldom seen these days in our sporting heroes.
“The conclusion is that he will pitch, but how it’s going to happen hasn’t been concluded,” Angels manager Joe Maddon told reporters. “There are different ways to do it, obviously. He could start the game or come in game-in-progress. And how often do you hit him? Don’t forget, he’ll be in the Home Run Derby the day before.
There’s a lot going on there. But Shohei is into it. It’s not like we’re trying to push him into doing anything. We’re just trying to figure out the best way to do it.”
Where most big names in the game seem to want to opt out of the all-star galas and balk at showcasing their skills when little is on the line, this guys gets it.
There are those bush league maintenance days in the NBA, stars skipping NCAA bowl games to protect their NFL futures, and Nhlers opting for rest over all-star and world championship consideration.
But not Ohtani. He’s all-in. And it’s a pleasure to behold — one that’s ours on the midsummer stage beginning Monday.
AROUND THE BASES
No team is boasting more all-stars than the American League East-leading Boston Red Sox (54-34), with fan picks SS Xander Bogaerts and 3B Rafael Devers being joined by reserves OF J.D. Martinez, P Nathan Eovaldi and P Matt Barnes . ... The Toronto Blue Jays (44-40), meanwhile, had the most starters selected of any team with SS Bo Bichette, 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and OF Teoscar Hernandez all getting the nod . ... Guerrero Jr., 22, earned the most fan votes of any player . ... More proof that the Tampa Bay Rays (51-36) live on team success is the fact that only one player was chosen to represent them in the allstar game. They might be one of MLB’S top franchises, but only C Mike Zunino will play in Denver. Rays manager Kevin Cash — by virtue of the them winning the AL last fall — is the AL’S all-star skipper . ... Same goes for the Oakland Athletics (50-39) in that regard, as 1B Matt Olson is their all-star man at Coors Field . ... Nine other teams had just one player selected — the Baltimore Orioles (OF Cedric Mullins), the Detroit Tigers (P Gregory Soto), the Kansas City Royals (C Salvador Perez), the Minnesota Twins (DH Nelson
Cruz), the Seattle Mariners (P Yusei Kikuchi), the Miami Marlins (P Trevor Rogers), the Colorado Rockies (P German Marquez), the Arizona Diamondbacks (3B Eduardo Escobar) and the New York Mets with the no-brainer of the bunch (P Jacob degrom). ... Meanwhile, degrom has opted out, saying he would rather spend the break with his family while resting up for the second half of the season. His 1.08 ERA at the allstar pause is second-best in MLB history only to Bob Gibson, who sizzled with a 1.06 ERA in 1968 for the St. Louis Cardinals ... With 10-time allstar Mike Trout not expected to play (calf strain), the guy with the most all-star games likely to make an appearance is Chicago Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel. This is his eighth invite . ... How’s the bounceback year for San Francisco Giants all-star Buster Posey going? Posey, 34, owns a sparkling .328 batting average and will become the oldest catcher to start an all-star game since Ivan Rodriguez did so for the Tigers as a 35-year-old back in 2007. But Cruz — with 18 homers and a lofty .304 average — will be the elder statesman in the game at age 41.
EXTRA INNINGS
With his 32nd dinger on Wednesday, Ohtani surpassed Hideki Matsui for the most homers hit by a Japanese player in a season . ... The Rays went on an 10-game road losing skid before righting the ship against the Blue Jays with a 3-1 win Sunday. Part of the problem was that they went 45 innings dating back to June 27 without holding a lead after the full inning. Rays wunderkind Wander Franco hammered his second big-league homer in that one. Now the Rays have won four straight, while no other franchise has more than a two-game winning or losing string going on right now . ... Also Sunday, the 11-game winning streak of the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers (53-36) was halted by — of all teams — the host Pittsburgh Pirates (32-54), who beat them 20-0. ... Trevor Bauer’s leave has been extended another seven days by MLB, as the league continues to investigate sexual assault allegations levelled at the L.A. Dodgers pitcher. Bauer’s bobblehead night scheduled for mid-august at Chavez Ravine has been put on hold while the investigation is ongoing.