Angels' Shohei Ohtani named AL starting pitcher in 2021 MLB All-Star Game
Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels pitches during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on June 30, 2021 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - Angels' Shohei Ohtani has been named the American League’s starting pitcher for the 2021 MLB All-Star Game.
Ohtani is the first player in Major League Baseball history to be named an All-Star as both a position player and a pitcher.
Ohtani has captured the baseball world by storm from both the batter's box and on the mound. The 26-year-old phenom and now a first-time MLB All-Star enters Monday with 33 home runs, 56 extra-base hits, 210 total bases and a .698 batting average.
He will become the sixth Angels pitcher to start an All-Star Game, joining Ken McBride (1963), Dean Chance (1964), Nolan Ryan (1979), Mark Langston (1993) and Jered Weaver (2011).
Ohtani would also become the first Angels pitcher to appear in an All-Star Game since Weaver pitched an inning in relief in 2012. The only other Japanese-born pitcher to start an All-Star Game was Hideo Nomo for the National League in 1995.
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Ohtani is the first player in MLB history to be named an All-Star as both a position player and a pitcher.
He was selected via fan voting as the starting designated hitter for the American League and was also selected as a pitcher via Player Balloting.
In 13 games as a pitcher this season, Ohtani has gone 4-1 with a 3.49 ERA (67 IP –26ER), 87 strikeouts and a .195 (46/236) batting average against. He has held opponents to an .080 (6/75) batting average against his splitter this season, which is the best mark in the Majors for any pitch (min. 75 PA ending on the pitch).
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On Monday night, Ohtani will also participate in the Home Run Derby.
The 2021 Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be played Tuesday, July 13, at Coors Field in Denver.
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