Gameday Thread: Angels vs. Padres (3-21-2021) Ohtani on the mound & leading off!

[Chuck]

[Taylor]

Now we know why Ohtani asked for the day off yesterday.

[Chuck]

Just now, TaylorBot said:

Now we know why Ohtani asked for the day off yesterday.

I wonder if they're going to see how he feels in a ST game at DH and pitching, since essentially that's what pitchers do in the NL. 

I mean at the very least, if he can do that once in a while and when we play against NL teams in interleague play...that would be awesome! 

[Chuck]

Either way, it has been a while! 

[Chuck]

 

[Chuck]

Double duty: Ohtani pitching, leading off

 

Two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani is no stranger to rare feats, but what he's doing Sunday is striking even for him. Ohtani will be the Angels' starting pitcher against the Padres, and he is also in the lineup as the team's leadoff hitter.

If that sounds like it doesn't happen a whole lot, well, it doesn't. The last starting pitcher to lead off while staying on the mound for more than one inning in a regular-season game was Jim Jones for the New York Giants in the second game of a doubleheader on Sept. 30, 1901. (Jones lost a five-inning complete game and went 0-for-4).

Since then, only two players have started on the mound and batted first: the Giants’ Al Dark (Sept. 27, 1953) and the Twins’ César Tovar (Sept. 22, 1968). But both players were longtime position players making the only pitching appearances of their careers, with Tovar going on to play all nine positions that day against the A’s.

Finally, Ohtani -- though regarded as one of the fastest players on the Halos -- has only led off to start a regular-season game once in his career.

[Tank]

Sweet! Go-tani!

[ten ocho recon scout]

Jim Jones? Talk about the weakest old timey baseball name in history

[ten ocho recon scout]

Just now, Tank said:

Sweet! Go-tani!

You should change your name to OhTanki since Claude cant make names like that any more.

[Chuck]

1 minute ago, ten ocho recon scout said:

Jim Jones? Talk about the weakest old timey baseball name in history

 

[Tank]

Just now, ten ocho recon scout said:

You should change your name to OhTanki since Claude cant make names like that any more.

[ten ocho recon scout]

5 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

 

I expect all ballplayers from 1901 to have a combination of names that dont exist anymore, like gaylord or seymore, and some sort of descriptive nickname, like lefty or "the polack".

Mortimer "the polack" leftystein would have been my pick to leadoff and pitch in 1901.

[tdawg87]

My bunk is going to be absolutely fucking demolished if he hits a homerun and strikes out like 8 guys.

[Lou]

15 minutes ago, ten ocho recon scout said:

I expect all ballplayers from 1901 to have a combination of names that dont exist anymore, like gaylord or seymore, and some sort of descriptive nickname, like lefty or "the polack".

Mortimer "the polack" leftystein would have been my pick to leadoff and pitch in 1901.

I never realized Leftystein was a Polish name. 

[Tank]

10 minutes ago, Lou said:

I never realized Leftystein was a Polish name. 

He’s half Comanche Indian, too.

[WicketMaiden]

Easily the most excited I've ever been for a Spring Training game.

[Buttercup]

Pardon me if this has been answered elsewhere. Is it possible to DH your catcher and let your pitcher hit? Say in an important regular season or postseason game you have Ohtani as starting pitcher and hitting but have Pujols or whoever DH for Stassi. Is there a rule that says the DH is only allowed for the pitcher? 

[AngelsLakersFan]

4 minutes ago, Buttercup said:

Pardon me if this has been answered elsewhere. Is it possible to DH your catcher and let your pitcher hit? Say in an important regular season or postseason game you have Ohtani as starting pitcher and hitting but have Pujols or whoever DH for Stassi. Is there a rule that says the DH is only allowed for the pitcher? 

Nope

[Buttercup]

That’s too bad. Could have made Ohtani an even bigger weapon in the postseason. Thanks for the response. 

[greginpsca]

1 hour ago, Chuckster70 said:

Either way, it has been a while! 

I thought Bert Campaneris did it too.

[AngelsLakersFan]

1 minute ago, Buttercup said:

That’s too bad. Could have made Ohtani an even bigger weapon in the postseason. Thanks for the response. 

A lot of the DH rules are dumb and actually hurt Ohtani's potential value. 

[Angel Oracle]

1 hour ago, Chuckster70 said:

Either way, it has been a while! 

Bert Campaneris was the first ever to play all 9 positions (9-8-1965 vs Halos in KC), and he also led off that game.

Edited March 21, 2021 by Angel Oracle

[Angelsjunky]

Dear Shohei,

Don't try to steal second and slide head (hands) first.

Thanks,

Angels fans

[tdawg87]

1 hour ago, Chuckster70 said:

 

[Duren, Duren]

Do they do this in the regular season? It would be cool, and possibly something to do in certain situations. 

It would be fun if he led off the top of the first with a homer and gave himself a lead before even throwing one pitch. 

A negative could be if he got on base and had to do a lot of running and sliding before taking the mound. That might bring on some fatigue or temporary discomfort. 

Nice to even have this potential strategy as an option.