Angels' Ohtani first-ever player named All-Star as position player, pitcher

Sportsnet Staff @SportsnetJuly 04, 2021 - 6:51pm

Los Angeles Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani drills his 31st home run of the season in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles.

Add another chapter to the Shohei Ohtani record book.

The Los Angeles Angels two-way star has made history once more, becoming the first player in MLB history to be selected for the All-Star Game as both a pitcher and a position player.

Ohtani had already been named an All-Star starter as the AL Team’s designated hitter when his name appeared on the pitchers list on Sunday. The 26-year-old Japanese star, who has also committed to taking part in the Home Run Derby in Denver this month, has gotten the go-ahead from his manager, Joe Maddon, to both pitch and hit at the All-Star Game.

The history-making day didn’t stop there for Ohtani, who also matched the record for most home runs in a single season by a Japanese-born player on Sunday, hitting his league-leading 31st in 81 games.

Shohei Ohtani ties the single-season MLB record for Home Runs by a Japanese-born player.

It took Ohtani 81 games to hit 31 Home Runs

It took Hideki Matsui 159 games to hit 31 Home Runs in 2004 pic.twitter.com/68tMFELoVW

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) July 4, 2021

Ohtani sports a .278 batting average for the season, with a 1.067 OPS and 66 RBIs. He also has a 3.60 ERA and a 1.267 WHIP over 60 innings and 12 games as a starting pitcher for the Angels.

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