Los Angeles Angels pitcher, designated hitter and outfielder Shohei Ohtani’s 2023 season got off to a unique start.
The former AL MVP often dazzles fans and even opposing teams when he’s on the pitching mound or standing at the plate with a bat in hand. However, the superstar had another trick up her sleeve when she used a PitchCom device to call her own pitches on Thursday, instead of relying on the catcher.
Ohtani’s decision to use the device was not directly affected by the implementation of the new shot clock, according to ESPN. The clock allows a pitcher only 15 seconds to start his pitching motion.
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Shohei Ohtani, number 17 of the Los Angeles Angels, walks onto the field before their season opener against the Oakland Athletics at RingCentral Coliseum on March 30, 2023 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The device was placed under Ohtani’s jersey near his shoulder during the game. Angels manager Phil Nevin believes the tool can help Ohtani get past his faster pitching roster.
«Shohei has so many pitches that he can throw. So for him to go through them and shake, shake and shake, time is running out because sometimes that thing doesn’t say it fast enough,» Nevin said before the season opener against the Oakland Athletics.
Ohtani isn’t the only member of the Angels’ pitching staff to use the device. Other pitchers, however, like Angels reliever Ryan Tepera, attach the device to his non-throwing arm, allowing them to see the numbers as they type.
Shohei Ohtani, number 17 of the Los Angeles Angels, warms up before the start of the game against the Oakland Athletics at RingCentral Coliseum on August 9, 2022 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Ohtani’s placement of the device forces him to memorize the keyboard.
Last week, Major League Baseball authorized the use of PitchCom for pitchers. Prior to approval, catchers would have to input the selected pitch. The pitcher would then hear the pitch selection via speech into his hat.
«They’re pushing buttons, they’re making eye contact,» Nevin said of Ohtani and catcher Logan O’Hoppe. «It’s a little bit of a different dynamic than we’ve seen in the past, obviously, but however they get there, it’s fine with me.»
Shohei Ohtani, #17 of the Los Angeles Angels, pitches against the Oakland Athletics in the bottom of the first inning at RingCentral Coliseum on October 5, 2022 in Oakland, California. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Ohtani had some trouble with his PitchCom device early in Thursday’s game and walked the first batter he faced on just four pitches. He decided to stop using the device for the rest of the opening entry, but didn’t seem to have any further problems with it for the rest of the game.
«I think he would have been even more unbeatable if he had the PitchCom in the first inning,» O’Hoppe said. «We had to stick with the slider and the cutter and we couldn’t really go with the split. But I thought he was unbeatable the whole outing.»
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Ohtani used PitchCom last season, and the decision appeared to have a direct impact on his performance. Before using PitchCom, he had a 3.45 ERA through May.
However, after he signed PitchCom, Ohtani posted a 0.34 ERA in four starts. The two-time MLB All-Star he finished the year with a 2.33 ERA, which was the fourth-best average in the American League.