Shohei Ohtani's glowing list of accomplishments is growing by the day.
On Sunday, the Los Angeles Angels' two-way sensation became the first player in the 91-year history of MLB's All-Star Game to make a roster as both a hitter and pitcher. Ohtani received 121 votes in balloting by players, managers, and coaches, three days after fans elected him as the AL's designated hitter.
"There's so much buzz, I can't believe it," NBC Sports Los Angeles reporter Michael Duarte told After Hours with Amy Lawrence on Monday. "It's crazy to me, because here in Los Angeles, if he wasn't playing up the 5 Freeway in Orange County in Anaheim, if he was on a team like the Dodgers -- or let's say he was in New York, Chicago, or a really big market -- you could imagine the national attention he's getting. And he's already getting the attention... And it seems like he's getting more attention right now than Mike Trout may have ever gotten in any of those MVP seasons...
"We thought, maybe this is a guy who's going to hit 20 home runs a year, and maybe have an ERA of 3.00 and pitch pretty good, but that's it. So far this first half, hitting 31 homers -- just obliterating his stats from before in half a season -- and showing that he's also arguably the best pitcher on his team, which is another argument all-together for the Angels' pitching staff. He has them right now above .500 with a better record than the New York Yankees, if you can believe that. I don't think anybody would've believed that.
"And the fact that he keeps shattering franchise records with the Angels on a team that has Mike Trout on it is unbelievable to me. And becoming the first player to be named an All-Star as a pitcher and also a hitter is incredible to me. So, he's getting tons of buzz. And the fact that he has Japan so excited right now and all eyes will be on that All-Star game, I think it really helps grow the game, internationally."
Ohtani, who's slashing .278/.367/.700 with a league-leading 31 home runs and 52 extra-base hits, is the first player in AL history to reach 30 homers and 10 stolen bases in his team's first 81 games of the season, per Stats by STATS. The 27-year-old superstar has also tied Hideki Matsui for the most homers hit by a Japanese-born player in a single season.
As if his offensive numbers weren't staggering enough, Ohtani is currently 3-1 through 12 starts on the mound, and owns a 3.60 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with 83 strikeouts across 60 innings.
Ohtani plans to participate in the Home Run Derby at Coors Field in Denver on July 12, one day before making history in the Midsummer Classic on July 13.
The entire conversation between Duarte and Lawrence can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow After Hours With Amy Lawrence on Twitter @ALawRadio and @AfterHoursCBS, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.