Will Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels continue his major league All-Star record?
The Major League Secretariat (MLB) announced the pitchers and bench players for the 2023 Major League All-Star Game on the 3rd (Korean time). MLB selects starting fielders for each position through fan voting, and pitchers and bench players are determined by voting between players and recommendation by the secretariat. A total of 66 people will be selected, including 13 pitchers, 9 fielders with the most votes by position, and 33 players including 10 bench players. Ohtani finished fifth as a pitcher in the American League Players’ Poll.
Ohtani has already been selected as the American League designated hitter in a fan vote. In this year’s Major League fan voting, the second round of voting was conducted to determine the final two players for each position in the first round of voting, and Ohtani was exempted from the second round of voting by ranking first in the American League fan voting overall. Ohtani received a whopping 2,646,307 votes. Also, he was named among the 13 American League pitchers announced on the day and was selected as an All-Star pitcher for the third consecutive year.
Ohtani became the starting pitcher and designated hitter in 2021, setting his first major league record. For the first time at the time, MLB applied the ‘Ohtani Rule’ to the All-Star Game, which states that “you can play as a designated hitter even after the pitcher is replaced.” MLB also set up a special stage for Ohtani during the ‘superstar’ period. Ohtani went 1 scoreless inning as a pitcher and no hits in 2 at-bats as a batter.
Last year, he was also selected as a pitcher on the recommendation of the Secretariat and was selected for both pitching categories, but gave up the All-Star pitcher in order to start the first game of the Angels’ second half. Ohtani also showed a modest appearance, saying, “There are many pitchers who are more suitable than me.” Ohtani, who recorded a shocking first-round elimination in the 2021 Home Run Derby, also refused to participate in the Home Run Derby last year, saying, “It consumes a lot of stamina.”
Can Ohtani start for the first time in two years this year? According to ‘Daily Sports’, Ohtani is known to be thinking about starting this year. Angels manager Phil Nevin expressed his opinion that he would follow Ohtani’s will for the pitching schedule, saying, “It’s not something I can decide. It’s something to discuss and decide. It’s up to Ohtani to decide.”안전놀이터
Director Nevin added, “It’s a different routine to make a relief pitch after going out as a designated hitter, but I did it enough at the WBC in March. I’ll support what he wants to do.” After playing as a designated hitter in the WBC in March, Ohtani came out as a closer in the ninth inning and showed off a perfect pitch to defend Japan’s championship. Will Ohtani make a mound as a relief pitcher in this All-Star Game?
The Major League All-Star Game will be held on the 12th (Korean time) at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, USA. On the previous day (11th), the All-Star Home Run Derby will be held. The All-Star Game will be broadcast live on SPOTV ON and SPOTV NOW.