In the top of the fourth inning, Angels starter Shohei Ohtani plunked Tigers veteran Miguel Cabrera with a dangerous pitch. It wasn't overly fast, at 86 miles per hour, but it came right at the future Hall of Famer's head and hit him near the helmet — it looks like he blocked it with his arm — sending him falling down to the ground in a hold-your-breath moment.
He didn't react at all, though, picking himself up and trotting over to first base. It wasn't until later in the game that he'd seek his revenge. After Ohtani walked with two outs in the bottom of the fifth and headed to first base, Miggy greeted him... with a huge punch. Just kidding.
Everyone can be a little bit wild, especially after substances are taken away from pitchers that they may have been used to beforehand, and Cabrera obviously held no grudge toward Ohtani for the mistake.
With that said, it doesn't seem like the league's crackdown has affected Ohtani all that much. In his three June starts, he's 2-0 in three starts — all of which were ultimately wins for the Angels — with 23 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched and a 2.65 ERA. Heck, it might even be helping him, seeing as he's slashing .300/.451/.700 in the month of June. The same goes for Miggy, who is by no means playing well but has raised his average from .184 to .213 thanks to a .288 performance throughout June to this point.
The best part about Miggy and Ohtani's friendly little interaction at first base was that it wasn't the first one of the day. Earlier in the game, the two met after a walk, and that time, Cabrera's jab wasn't met with only air.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram