It does not look like the Los Angeles crowd will see a dual-position performance on Tuesday at the 2022 All-Star Game. According to LA Times columnist Dylan Hernandez, Shohei Ohtani himself mentioned he will not likely throw tomorrow.
Ohtani said he doesn?t plan to pitch tomorrow.
— Dylan Hernández (@dylanohernandez) July 18, 2022
The two-way superstar took himself out of contention to start the ball game, and it looks doubtful he will throw a single pitch against the National League’s best.
Los Angeles starts its second half on Friday with a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves. Unless something changes, the only NL batters Ohtani faces this week will be in Atlanta, as he is slated to take the ball in the opener.
The 28-year-old is having another spectacular season at the dish. Ohtani leads the Angels in RBI (56) and walks (44) while hitting 19 homers, scoring 51 runs, and stealing 10 bags.
His numbers on the mound might be even more impressive. The Japanese hurler paces LA with nine wins and 123 strikeouts. Shohei also leads the team’s starters with a 2.38 ERA and 0.99 WHIP.
FanDuel Sportsbook has Ohtani as the odds-on-favorite to win the Midsummer Classic’s MVP award at +480. He is also the AL MVP favorite at -105 and third on the Cy Young Award futures board at +850.
