Watch free: Ohtani set for double duty vs. new-look Rangers
On any given day, there’s a good chance you’re going to see something amazing from Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani. The chances are even greater when he gets the opportunity to hit and pitch on the same day, especially with the new rule that allows him to remain in the game as the designated hitter even after he's done pitching. Ohtani is set to pull double duty Thursday, and you can watch for free on MLB.TV.
The Angels’ matchup against the Rangers at Globe Life Field is MLB.TV's Free Game of the Day, with first pitch scheduled for 8:05 p.m. ET.
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Ohtani, the reigning American League MVP, made his first pitching appearance of 2022 on Opening Day against the Astros, striking out nine batters and allowing one run in 4 2/3 innings.
The right-hander was dominant in four starts on the mound against the Rangers last season, going 3-0 with a 2.86 ERA and 30 K’s in 22 innings. However, he’ll have to contend with a much tougher lineup this year after Texas signed Corey Seager and Marcus Semien in the offseason.
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Although Seager and Semien are both still searching for their first home runs with the team (Seager nearly hit one Tuesday but was robbed by Rockies center fielder Randal Grichuk), the Rangers haven’t had much trouble scoring runs so far, averaging 5.6 runs per game.
Ohtani also has yet to go deep this season. He’s gotten off to a slow start at the plate, but if you need a reminder of the type of power he has in his bat, he provided one on Sunday with his 119.1 mph double -- the hardest-hit batted ball by a left-handed batter under Statcast tracking (since 2015).