Shohei Ohtani did not record a single out on his expected return to the pitcher’s mound on Sunday.
The Los Angeles Angels’ two-way sensation walked over three A batters, gave up three singles and came out of his 2020 pitching debut with a 4-0 deficit at the Oakland Coliseum. Ohtani threw 30 pitches, half of them balls, and was ultimately charged with five wins.
It started with an opening single by Oakland shortstop Marcus Semien. Ohtani then issued consecutive walks to Ramon Laureano, Matt Chapman, and Matt Olson.
Mark Canha and Robbie Grossman followed with consecutive singles before Ohtani gave way to Matt Andriese, who induced a double play and recorded a strikeout to limit the damage.
Ohtani, 26, averaged 93 mph on a fastball that can reach triple digits. He had two hits on two of the six hitters he faced, but couldn’t save them.
The right-hander had a 3.10 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 49⅓ innings before ripping his ulnar collateral ligament in 2018, leading to an 18-month recovery. He also served as the Angels’ designated hitter before resuming his career as a starting pitcher.
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