There are some athletes fans go way out of their way to witness. Shohei Ohtani is one of them.
Forget the fact this was Ohtani's birthday - eliciting a sea of well-wishing signs throughout Angel Stadium. The presence of this player is always a thing. The fans know it. And the players realize it, as well.
The now-27-year-old is that good.
"I played in Southern California for a while here and I’ve never seen the fans show up in the ballpark, show up early and stay all the way to the end," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora after his team's 5-4 win over the Angels Monday night. "That’s what he brings to the equation. It’s good for baseball. People love it. It seems like every pitch when he’s at the plate, you can hear the oohs and ahhs and I think it’s great for baseball. Adam (Ottavino) did an amazing job against him. I think we did a great job tonight against him but he’s a threat, pretty similar to when Barry (Bonds) was doing his thing. It felt that way. Everybody was into every pitch, every swing. It’s great for baseball."
Every. Single. Pitch.
It's the way of the world when Ohtani is involved. It just so happened that on this night, it was the 18th and final pitch faced by the designated hitter that allowed the Red Sox for the kind of sigh relief few moments have offered this season.
All the way until that last pitch was thrown, the micromanagement of Ohtani was noteworthy.
His first at-bat against starter Martin Perez ended up in a strikeout on sixth pitch, with all the offerings geared to get in under the lefty hitter's hand.
The same approach was prevalent in the second go-round, with Ohtani's bat exploding on a 92 mph inside sinker from Perez.
The third time around Perez's attempt to get in on Ohtani was off the mark but just enough for an opposite field single, offering a reminder what can happen if you miss the spot by just a few inches.
Ohtani's fourth trip to the plate was looking like his last, having to stare down a pitcher who has become the best lefty reliever in the game, Josh Taylor. Like clockwork, Taylor started the batter out with a inside fastball before taking advantage of Ohtani's adjustment of clearing out just a bit. Back-to-back sliders ended the three-pitch at-bat with a fly out.
There was one more test for the Red Sox pitchers to undergo, however.
With runners on first and second, two outs and the Angels trailing by just a run in the ninth, up came Ohtani to face Ottavino. It seemed like a long-shot that the birthday boy would get another shot, but much like the May 16 game that saw him hit a game-winning homer at Fenway Park, a string of late-inning baserunners had led him to some unexpected drama.
“I mean, I was trying to avoid that ever getting to that point, I had in the back of my mind, don’t let Ohtani come up," Ottavino explained. "Of course, it happens. In the moment, I’m ready for battle. It’s a fun situation."
With sketchy command of his fastball, the Red Sox reliever wasn't exactly in a good position to continue the strategy of busting Ohtani inside. So, he went with what he knew - the slider.
First one, strike. Next two, balls. Third? The integration of a 97 mph fastball, ending up as another ball. But then came the best slider of the bunch, one which Ohtani took the bait on, pulling it right into the Red Sox' shift for a game-ending 4-3 ground out.
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"I knew he was over there," said Ottavino of second baseman Christian Arroyo. "I always check the shifts but part of the reason why I wanted to stay breaking ball there so if anything he would pull it because I knew all our guy were over there. Christian’s really good at those plays. That was a tough ball, a lot of topspin. I was like, 'Just stop it!' And he did, so that’s beautiful."
The pitcher went on to further explain the at-bat, saying, "I got to a 2-1 count on some close pitches, on all sliders. And Vazqy (Christian Vazquez) actually called another slider but I felt like he was looking for it so I tried a fastball, missed with it. 3-1, I just thought, I’m not sure what he’s looking for but I’m going to live and die with my best pitch and plus the shift in that situation so I felt like it was a good bet and it kind of worked out."
It was the kind of drama that can only come with the great ones.
Tuesday, they get to do it all again -- except this time both the Red Sox' hitters and pitchers get the chance to try their luck with baseball's best player.
That sigh of relief won't last long.
