Back in May I had the winning bid on a pair of tickets for the Tigers-Angels game at Comerica Park Thursday afternoon.
I’d secretly dared to dream that Shohei Ohtani would pitch. When I saw he pitched last Friday I did some simple math and discovered Thursday would be his turn in the rotation.
Could it be???
You can imagine my disappointment when I saw Sunday night that he was slated to pitch Friday in Toronto instead. But then, storms moved through the Detroit area Wednesday and the Angels switched it up, moving Ohtani into the starting slot for Game 1 of Thursday’s doubleheader, keeping him on his normal rest.
He did not disappoint!
- Game 1 – His first-ever complete game, allowed one hit, walked three, and fanned eight. He’d no-hit the Tigers through four innings and had faced the minimum of 18 batters through six.
- Game 2 – He blasted his MLB-leading 37th and 38th home runs.
Alas, sticking for Game 2 was simply not in the cards on this hot and humid day with my septuagenerian father with me. That said, I’m beyond stoked to have witnessed the best player in the game today.
From upper left, Ohtani walking to the bullpen pre-game, the Miguel Cabrera tally board, an Ohtani pitch, a throng of fans crowded the area above the Angels bullpen to watch Ohtani warm up, the overcast gave way to brilliant (and hot!) sun after awhile, the Ty Cobb statue, the Ernie Harwell statue, and the Willie Horton statue.