Shohei Otani Will Mass-produce All the Triples, the Proof of the Best Hitter in the Majors for a Surprising Reason!

In the third inning of the last game of the first half against the Dodgers (July 8, local time), the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani (29) swung hard at a straight ball thrown by second baseman Michael Grove (26)!　The white ball tore through the right side with tremendous force. After confirming that Mookie Betts (30), who was protecting the lights, was having trouble handling the ball, Ohtani quickly kicked it into high gear and reached third base. It only took 11.67 seconds.

The only thing I can say about the No. 32 home run he hit on the same day is that it was indeed a great one. But what surprised the local reporters the most was the triple. Aaron Judge (31, Yankees), who won the homer crown last year with 62 homers, hit 33 homers in the first half of the season but had no three-base hits.

Ohtani, on the other hand, already leads the league with six. What this fact means is that Otani is the strongest hitter with both power and speed.

(Sports newspaper desk) “Otani is a rare individual who consistently records double-digit stolen base totals in a season while manipulating a body of steel that officially weighs 95 kg, but in reality is said to weigh more than 100 kg. Shingo Fujita, chief trainer at Sekimei Medi Baseball Academy, who has experience coaching professional baseball players, said, “Otani has such long arms and legs.”

Shingo Fujita, chief trainer at Seki Medi Baseball Academy, who has experience coaching professional baseball players, said, “With such long arms and legs and a thick body, the way he runs usually becomes jerky. But I don’t feel that at all from Ohtani. There is no Japanese player like that. The clue to the smoothness of his movements lies in the training he does when he is pitching, in which he hits a heavy ball against the wall. Perhaps it is to strengthen his inner muscles.”

Whether it is to make a batted ball fly farther or to rotate the legs faster, the outer muscles are necessary to increase power output, but to make the most of it, the inner muscles that control the movement of the joints are also important. I don’t just build muscles; I work out systematically, keeping a balance in mind.”

The routine of Otani, the pitcher, has led to the birth of Otani, the best hitter. It is a divine feat that only Otani, who reigns supreme in the realm of the two-sport athlete, could have accomplished.

The only concern is fatigue. After all, in 2021, when he was very active in the first half of the season, Ohtani lost speed after the All-Star Game. Sportswriter Nachi Tomonari, however, is convinced that Otani will continue to be active until the end of the season.

Unlike the year before last, this year Otani withdrew from the Home Run Derby and will not pitch in the All-Star Game. Although he may have been affected by crushed blisters and cracked nails, it is the best decision in terms of conditioning for the second half of the season.

He also has the experience of the past two years, so he should know how to pace himself. The Angels are struggling without their mainstay Mike Trout (31), but there is no doubt that Ohtani will have his best season ever.

If he continues to win the home run and triple crown, he will become the first player in 45 years and the ninth player in history to do so. It seems that Otani will be able to achieve this without any difficulty.

From the July 28, 2023 issue of FRIDAY