Watch Ohtani take mound, LIVE on YouTube

He’s arguably the biggest story in baseball right now. And he’s taking center stage once again.

Shohei Ohtani is on the mound in the Angels’ series opener against the Tigers in Anaheim, looking to write the next chapter in a jaw-dropping season that has seen his two-way potential come into full bloom. Fans can catch all the action, live and for free on YouTube, with the broadcast underway right now. Just to add to the excitement, the Angels were expecting a large crowd in their first home game with full capacity since 2019.

Already this season, Ohtani has thrown 100-plus mph, posted multiple 10-strikeout games on the mound, launched a 470-foot blast among his 19 home runs and flashed his elite speed with nine infield hits and 10 stolen bases. What will he do next?

We’ll find out as part of this matchup. Let’s break it down.

How they’re doing
Tigers (29-39, 4th in AL Central)
Angels (33-35, 4th in AL West)

Before Mike Trout injured his calf on May 17, it seemed as though the Angels -- already five games below .500 -- were in deep trouble. Somehow, going back to that day, they are 16-13, despite falling victim to a three-game sweep in Oakland leading into this series. It still will be an uphill climb to the postseason for the Halos, but if they can hang in there until Trout returns, things just might get interesting.

The matchup on the mound
Tigers -- Matt Manning (MLB debut)
Angels -- Ohtani (2-1, 2.85 ERA in nine starts)

We’ll get back to Ohtani below, but it’s worth noting his opponent on Thursday. Manning was selected by the Tigers ninth overall in the 2016 Draft, and the 6-foot-6 right-hander, who turned 23 in January, ranks No. 18 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list. Manning now joins two other highly regarded young pitchers, Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal, in a Tigers rotation that is dealing with some key injuries. Here is what to expect from Manning.

The player to watch

Ohtani was effectively wild early in the season, with a 2.41 ERA over his first four starts despite 19 walks in 18 2/3 innings. Since then, he’s just been effective (3.14 ERA, nine walks, 38 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings). All along, the splitter has been his No. 1 weapon. Opponents are 2-for-58 (.034) against it this season, with 45 strikeouts.

Ohtani has been part of the batting order in six of his nine starts on the mound this season and is doing double duty again as he is in the lineup in the No. 2 spot.

Don’t forget him

Eric Haase has been a terrific story for the Tigers. The 28-year-old catcher/outfielder -- who was born in Detroit and played his high school ball in Dearborn, Mich. -- entered 2021 having sprinkled 26 big league games across the previous three seasons for Cleveland and Detroit. Haase got another chance when the Tigers called him up on May 12 and took advantage. He since has produced three multi-homer games and is slugging .577 while earning a regular spot in the lineup.

Picture this

As mentioned, Ohtani’s splitter is just about unhittable. But why? MLB.com’s David Adler delved into that question last month, and a big piece of the puzzle is the way it works to devastating effect off Ohtani’s mid- to high-90s four-seam fastball. The splitter drops just about straight down, and by the time a hitter can recognize it from the four-seamer, it’s too late. This graphic, from Adler’s story, shows just how impossible that is for Ohtani’s opponents.

Number of note

Purely as a position player, Ohtani has a rare blend of power and speed. He’s one of five qualifiers this year to rank in the 90th percentile or better in both barrel rate and sprint speed, according to Statcast, along with Ronald Acuña Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., Mike Trout and Tyler O’Neill. But then you consider that Ohtani also ranks in the 90th percentile or better for whiffs-per-swing rate and strikeout rate as a pitcher, while being one of 10 starters to reach 100 mph, and you begin to appreciate the special athlete he is.