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Shohei Ohtani, the American League's reigning MVP, has gotten off to a bit of a slow start in the 2022 season. The Los Angeles Angels star has gone 3-for-21 to start the year with zero home runs and zero RBI's in his first five games.
While Shohei Ohtani has gotten off to a slow start at the plate, his pitching has been as dominant as it was a season ago. Ohtani, in his debut outing, struck out nine batters over 4.2 innings pitched and allowed only one earned run. Let's take a look at the hilarious moment he shared with his bat and see why fans should not overreact to his slow start at the plate.
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"Shohei Ohtani has started out this year 3-21 at the plate. Last night he was giving his bat CPR to bring it back to life." - @ Barstool Sports
Ohtani gave his bat CPR to bring it back to life, and that's what is awesome about the game of baseball. Ohtani comes off to many as a very serious and reserved ball player. It is nice to see him take his slow start with a little bit of humor. Slumps can be very hard for players. It seems that Ohtani is not taking the slump as much of anything.
Shohei Ohtani: Why fans should not worry about slow start
Ohtani may not have the best showing at the plate so far, but there is zero reason for Angels fans to worry. The MLB season is a long one that is filled with many ups and downs. Before long, Ohtani will be back in his groove and will be a top contender for the league's MVP.
His debut pitching performance is worth watching again as he put together a dominant outing against the reigning American League champs.
"Shohei Ohtani's final line pitching: 4.2 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts, 51 strikes on 80 pitches. His fastball has been 98-100 with significant cut all night. Curve was excellent, too. And now he still gets to hit because the Shohei Ohtani Rule is awesome." - @ Jeff Passan
Ohtani is still the best player in baseball. His early batting struggle should not be concerning for fans. Ohtani will turn it around. It's a long season, and there will be plenty more opportunities for Ohtani's bat to shine once again.
