“I thought about taking him out after the seventh but he was adamant, 'This is mine'" - Los Angeles Angels interim manager Phil Nevin is in awe of two-way star Shohei Ohtani following historic 13 strikeouts feat by the Japanese phenom

Los Angeles Angels phenom Shohei Ohtani, or "Sho-time" as he is referred to by fans and players, continues to astound the baseball world. Since his arrival from Japan in 2018, he has broken numerous records, some of which have stood for decades. On Wednesday, Ohtani recorded a career-high 13 strikeouts over eight innings to lead the Angels to a victory over the Kansas City Royals.

"'What a day, what a performance by him,' Nevin talks Ohtani’s outing" - Bally Sports West

Only 24 hours earlier, Shohei Ohtani hit two home runs, becoming the eighth Angel in history to record eight RBIs or more in a game. The feat was the most by any Japanese-born player since Hideki Matsui drove in seven against the Boston Red Sox in 2009.

As dominant as he was with the bat on Tuesday, Ohtani was equally impressive on the mound on Wednesday. Ohtani threw a total of 108 pitches to complete eight full innings, giving up no runs, one walk, two hits and striking out 13 hitters.

After a shaky start where he gave up consecutive singles to Whit Merrifield and Andrew Benintendi, Ohtani retired 23 of the next 24 hitters. His only blemish after the two hits was a walk to Merrifield in the sixth inning.

Shohei Ohtani walks back to the dugout in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the New York Yankees.

The reigning American League MVP finished last season with an impressive 9-2 record and a 3.18 ERA. He led the team in strikeouts (156) and innings pitched (130.1).

Ohtani's 2022 however, did not start as well as expected. He started the season with a 3-3 record after eight starts and a 3.45 ERA. His next game against the New York Yankees might have been his worst performance of the season. After giving up eight hits, three home runs, and four runs the Angels ace was pulled after only three innings.

Reigning MVP Shohei Ohtani continues to impress in 2022

Shohei Ohtani during a ceremony for his 2021 American League MVP Award

Since his June 2 nightmare against the Yankees in the Bronx, Ohtani has been outstanding. In his last three starts, he is 3-0 and has given up only one earned run in 21 innings. He has amassed 25 strikeouts and has allowed only nine hits and a meager five walks in that period.

Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels reacts after the third out against the Kansas City Royals.

There is no doubt, though, that Wednesday's outing was the standout pitching performance of the season for Ohtani and the Angels. "What a day, what a performance by him," said Angels interim manager Phil Nevin.

Ironically, it was interim manager Phil Nevin who was ready to pull Ohtani after the seventh inning. Ohtani, however, was determined to continue on in the game. Maybe he knew he needed just one more strikeout to break his career record. He successfully accomplished that by striking out Emmanuel Rivera with his last pitch of the game.

Before last night, only one other player in MLB history had recorded at least 10 strikeouts and eight or more RBIs in their career. That was Tony Cloninger back in 1966.

"Players to have an 8 RBI game and a 12 SO game in a career: Tony Cloninger (in 1966) Shohei Ohtani (last two games vs. the Royals)" - Baseball Reference

Shohei Ohtani continues to shatter records and dazzle all those watching. Not since Babe Ruth has a player been so dominant playing both ways. Even the great Ruth himself decided to call two-way play quits after six years of pitching and focus solely on hitting. After leaving the Red Sox in 1919, he pitched only three games for the Yankees from 1920-21, totaling a meager 13 innings.

Shohei Ohtani finished 2021 with an MVP title and what many consider the greatest season by any player in history. He continues into 2022 in equally impressive fashion.