Shohei Ohtani hit 101 mph on Tuesday night, the fastest by a starting pitcher this season
(Bob Levey)
By
Jessica Kleinschmidt
Shohei Ohtani is off to a hot start this season. He's living up to his hype with a .333/.378/.619 line and three homers on the offensive side, while on the mound, he held a 3.50 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 18 innings entering this week. He also showed off some insane velocity on Tuesday night. In the bottom of the fifth during the Angels' 8-7 win over the Astros, Ohtani hit 101 mph on a fastball (twice!) to Josh Reddick, which, according to Statcast, is the fastest pitch by a starting pitcher this season:
Reddick ended up lining out to right field. Earlier in the game, in the bottom of the third, Ohtani also hit 100.6 mph against ... Reddick: He joins relievers Aroldis Chapman and Jordan Hicks as the only other pitchers to deliver pitches 101 mph or above this year. So yeah -- he's good, and apparently, Reddick pumps him up.