The game that drew attention from fans was an exhibition game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday (Korea time). The two teams are the main players of the "Freeway Series" rivalry. They are not part of the same division, but they have a sense of rivalry that they normally are. However, the showdown between the two teams was not just a hot topic of conversation on the day. It was the first game where the best players of Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout met each other as enemies in the Major League.
The two teams had a match at Glendale Camelback Ranch in Arizona. Trout played center field three times and Ohtani played designated hitter two times at bat. While Trout had one hit and one walk from two times at bat on the day, Ohtani had no hit from three times at bat and had two strikeouts, which dampened his pace recently. However, the outcome of the match was not that important. All the talk of the town was about the reunion of Ohtani and Trout, who had been playing together until last year.
Ohtani joined the Los Angeles Angels through an international amateur player contract ahead of the 2018 season. Numerous teams tried hard to catch Ohtani, and some teams were so active that they even gave presentations in front of him with their star players. The Angels were one of them. At the time, the Angels promised to actively support Ohtani's pitching and hitting, which eventually led to Ohtani's choice. The Angels had Trout, the best player in the Major League.
Trout was the best player of the time. Not to mention his outstanding skills. He became the MVP of the American League three times through 2014, 2016, and 2019. He played in 1,489 games in 13 MLB seasons, recording a whopping 0.994 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage). Ahead of the 2019 season, he opened the era of 400 million dollars with the largest 12-year contract worth 426.5 million dollars in MLB history. His clean image as well as skill were elements that American fans loved.
Now that Trout and Ohtani met, it was not unreasonable for the Angels to become the most notable team in the Major League. However, the two sides were slightly divided. Ohtani underwent surgery for his elbow injury during the 2018 season. He continued to play as a batter, but there were some aftermaths. As Ohtani emerged as the world's best icon by playing both pitching and hitting jobs in earnest from 2021, he slowed down due to his injury. He played in only 36 games in 2021, 119 games in 2022, and 82 games in 2023. Not being able to feel the synergy effect between the two players, the Angels were frustrated that they could never make it to the postseason when Ohtani joined the team. Ohtani left the team after becoming a free agent after the 2023 season, and said goodbye to Trout, too. They met the best player and talent in the history of the Major League, but there was a feeling that the conclusion had not been reached.
The two players met and talked on the ground for a while before the game began, and Ohtani looked especially cheerful when he met with his old teammates. Fifteen minutes before the game, he visited the Angels dugout and had a great time talking with his teammates and taking pictures. Although he left the team now, his teammates welcomed Ohtani.
The content of the game was better for Trout. He had a hit from his first at bat in the first inning. With two outs and no runners on base, Trout had a hit to the right field off Dodgers starter Bobby Miller. He grounded out to shortstop in the fourth inning, but was replaced by a walk to get on base in the third and last at bat in the fifth inning. Not only did Trout play in 82 games last year, but his OPS dropped to 0.858, the lowest level in his career, saving his pride. Even local media no longer singled out Trout as the overwhelming best player. Trout is showing relatively normal conditions in the upcoming spring training, and he deserves high expectations that he will show his true worth this year.
On the other hand, Ohtani had a full count game in the first inning, but he struck out a strikeout in the second inning in the third inning. He aimed for a hit in the last inning, but center fielder Trout caught a hit. It was the first game in which Ohtani, who had continued to have hits in this exhibition game, was withdrawn without a hit. Ohtani left a strong impression on Dodgers fans by hitting a home run against the Chicago White Sox on Feb. 28, and was excited by his one hit and two walks from one at bat in the game against Cleveland on March 2, and three hits and two RBIs in the game against Colorado on March 4. Ohtani's exhibition game performance in four games fell slightly to .500 (5 hits from 10 at-bats), .583 on-base percentage, 1.000 slugging percentage, and 1.583 OPS. Ohtani has more than 1.000 OPS in all of his recent four exhibition games so far.
Win or lose didn't matter. "I congratulated him on everything he went through the winter - marriage and contract. We were friends, he was a great teammate," Trout said after the game. However, he pointed out the cold reality and predicted a competitive landscape, saying, "Now we're on a different team."
"I didn't feel strange or uncomfortable because I was dealing with the Angels. If I had played at home for the Angels, the story could have been different," Ohtani said. "The batting at my last time was pretty good. I felt a little off, but I am satisfied with the overall batting quality."
Ohtani's participation in the Seoul Series also has a blue light. Ohtani underwent elbow surgery for the second time in his career at the end of last season. Due to such reasons, he will not be able to take the mound in 2024. Ohtani is striving to rehabilitate himself with the goal of opening in 2025. Usually, pitchers disappear in front of fans for more than a year after elbow surgery. However, Ohtani is different. He is second-rate hitter. He can contribute to his team.
Elbow surgery impairs not only pitching but also hitting. He cannot simply run. He needs rehabilitation. When fielders undergo Tommy John Surgery meant to rebuild their elbow injury, they usually rehabilitate for four to five months. The same applies to Ohtani.
BY: 토토사이트