Los Angeles Angels two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani will get a chance to show off all he can do at this year’s All-Star festivities as the man seeded first in Monday night’s Home Run Derby will also be the American League’s starting pitcher and leadoff hitter for Tuesday night’s game.
A first-time All-Star, Ohtani leads the majors with 33 homers and is also 4-1 with a 3.49 ERA in 13 starts for the Angels. In addition to getting the start on the mound, Ohtani will remain in the game as the AL’s designated hitter.
“This is what the fans want to see,” AL manager Kevin Cash of the Tampa Bay Rays said Monday.
Ohtani is the first player in major league history to be selected for an All-Star Game as both a hitter and a pitcher. The fans elected him to the game at the plate, and he received the honor as a pitcher in the final team announcement on Sunday.
Cash was given the OK by Angels manager Joe Maddon to play Ohtani as both a hitter and a pitcher in the All-Star Game. Maddon said last week Ohtani wants to play both ways in Denver and that Cash is on board with the plan.
Opposing Ohtani on the pitcher’s mound will be National League starter Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals.
Added to the NL roster as an injury replacement, Scherzer is 7-4 with a 2.66 ERA and has struck out 134 in 17 starts. For the Nats ace it will be his fourth All-Star Game start and his eighth straight appearance in the midsummer classic.
The All-Star Game from the Colorado Rockies‘ Coors Field is Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET with the Home Run Derby airing Monday night on ESPN at 8 p.m.