Gästebuch » Shohei Ohtani could have shut it down already.

ANAHEIM Kevin Long Jersey , Calif. (AP) — He could have wrapped up his singular rookie season with the Los Angeles Angels and proceeded straight to the Tommy John surgery looming for him next week.Instead, Ohtani is still slugging away in the eighth inning of a sparsely attended night game in the final days of September between two teams that won’t get anywhere near the playoffs this year.He is facing Texas’ Chris Martin, his teammate last season in Japan. Ohtani pounces on a pitch up in the zone and drives it the opposite way, flashing the all-fields power that still stuns.His shoot hits the top of the left field wall and bounds into the bullpen. The tiebreaking homer is his 22nd of the year, matching his best pro total with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.“You’ve seen him get progressively better as the season has gone on,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “This experience is invaluable to him — to be able to finish strong, see as much pitching as he can, log it and be ready for next year to swing the bat.”Ohtani’s patient, almost ascetic approach to baseball has been evident ever since he agreed to join the Angels last winter. In doing so, he passed up untold millions that he could have made by waiting a couple of years in Japan, instead hurrying stateside to begin the long process of mastering the big leagues as a pitcher and a hitter.So it was no surprise to his teammates and coaches when he decided to keep hitting until October, even after he realized his pitching elbow would require surgery . It’s also no surprise that he plans to hit throughout next season without giving up on his long-term plan to be a two-way player.The 24-year-old is focused on the long view, but every small step along the path is vital.“I think the way I finish the season is really important to me, whether it’s good or bad,” Ohtani said. “Because I know what to work on during the offseason. This time I was able to finish strong http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-adams-jersey , so it was a really good feeling.”Ohtani heads into the Angels’ final three games of 2018 batting .283 with 22 homers, 59 RBIs and a .930 OPS in just 355 plate appearances. Before he felt pain in his pitching elbow in early June, he had 63 strikeouts and a 3.31 ERA in just 10 starts of tantalizing quality.Despite the arm injury that ended his pitching efforts and kept him from batting for most of June, Ohtani is a top contender for the AL Rookie of the Year award. Voters must evaluate Ohtani’s unique talents next to the more conventional hitting prowess of New York Yankees sluggers Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres.Ohtani’s persistence has proven to be one of his greatest strengths — and that isn’t always the case with athletes of his prodigious gifts.When he took a two-month break from pitching, he struggled at the plate to start July — but then batted .328 in August with six homers and 18 RBIs. After his return to the mound in early September went poorly and left him facing the inevitability of Tommy John, Ohtani improbably racked up four homers and 10 RBIs in his first four games back at the plate.The Angels attribute that resilience to Ohtani’s mental toughness, which is a key complement to his unique skills.“He’s got a great makeup,” Scioscia said. “I think he understands the separation of pitching and hitting. He’s able to take that batting helmet off and put that pitcher’s cap on and go pitch when he’s going to pitch, and when he’s hitting, he’s focused on hitting. He just wants to play baseball, whatever he can do. So I know he’s looking forward to pitching, but I think it’s an easy sideways step for him to become just a hitter. He just loves to play the game.”Away from the field, Ohtani appears to be settled smoothly in Orange County with his new club. While he doesn’t speak in public without Ippei Mazuhara, his translator and constant companion at Angel Stadium, he clearly understands much more English than he did in April — and more Spanish Ryan Zimmerman Jersey , as evidenced in his spirited recent rendition of “Despacito” on the team bus.Ohtani is finishing this season batting cleanup as the Angels’ designated hitter, and he’s likely to resume that role in 2019. While the Angels remain firmly committed to supporting Ohtani’s two-way skills, everyone around the club is eager to see what Ohtani can accomplish while he’s largely focused on just one side of his two-way game.“The thing about Shohei is he’s got the potential to do it all, and he’s committed to getting there,” Scioscia said. “It’s not often you see that combination in a guy, and he’s got it all.” Rob Carr/Getty ImagesBryce Harper is the home run king.Playing the role of hometown hero in front of the Washington Nationals fans at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Harper beat Kyle Schwarber of the Chicago Cubs in the final round, 19-18. He mixed in plenty of drama, hitting his 18th homer on his final swing of regulation time and winning it with the extra 30 seconds he earned by hitting at least two more than 440 feet during his round.ESPN espnBryce Harper won the Home Run Derby in the most dramatic way possible. qpnvbcx0xeHe prevailed in an eight-competitor bracket seeded by the number of long balls each had when the field was set. Each hitter had four minutes and one timeout per round to hit as many blasts as they could, although the two finalists were granted an additional 30-second timeout.FOX Sports: MLB MLBONFOXThe bracket for the 2018 MLB Home Run Derby! tai9MAU4yG FinalThe thrilling final was an apt finish to what was a spectacularly entertaining Home Run Derby that featured multiple walkoff wins, Ruthian blasts and an ecstatic crowd.ESPN StatsInfonoted Harper became just the third player to win the Derby at his home stadium, joining Chicago's Ryne Sandberg (1990) and the Cincinnati Reds' Todd Frazier (2015).Rodger Sherman rodger_shermanthey should have 162 Home Run Derbys a year and then one 9-inning baseball game in July as a gimmickIf one can be clutch in a spectacle put on for the fans, Harper came through in the biggest moment. He drilled nine homers in the final 47 seconds of regulation alone just to tie Schwarber and set up his towering blast to win it.Jayson Stark jaysonstThis Derby summed up exactly why people buzz about Bryce Harper even when hes hitting .214. How about that feel for the moment?Down 9 HR with a minute to go. Then homered in 9 straight swings to tie it. Popped up the first pitch of extra time. Then finished it off. Wow.Joon Lee joonleeYou can throw overrated around all you want http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-adams-jersey , but when Bryce Harper is the purest form of Bryce Harper, there isn鈥檛 anyone more valuable to baseball cultural relevance and fan excitement.A legendary ending to that derby.Daren Willman darenwAll of Bryce Harpers homers tonight... Wow, what a great finish! Nationals mlb tWnsC7jDQlHe also rescued his father, who was drawing some restless ire from the fans as he struggled to throw strikes as his pitcher early in the last round.As for Schwarber, he provided a show of his own. According toJayson Starkof MLB Network, the Cubs slugger hit 16 of his 18 homers in the final round in the second or third deck, underscoring his ability to launch rockets into the night sky on a consistent basis. SemifinalsThe semifinals brought plenty of entertainment as well considering Schwarber and Rhys Hoskins of the Philadelphia Phillies turned in a memorable battle that extended to the last swing.Hoskins blasted 20 long balls, which figured to be enough to advance. Schwarber missed the memo, though, and hit his 21st on his final swing after pumping up the crowd in between pitches.MLB MLBWalk it off in style, kschwarb12! TYMZmRB4hWJon Lester JLester34The Great Schwarbino It was clear the Chicago outfielder was in a groove when he turned to the fans in his final minute, and he flipped his bat in triumph with his last homer. According toESPN StatsInfo, the two competitors became the first players to hit 20 home runs in the semifinals of the Derby, and they did it against each other.The encore didn't match the drama of the first matchup, but Harper gave Nationals Park exactly what it was looking for by prevailing against Max Muncy of the Los Angeles Dodgers with 13 homers.Sean Doolittle whatwouldDOOdome Bryce Harper Jersey , when Bryce is hitting #HRDerby V1BkB05RNCThe hometown hero started slowly but found a groove in plenty of time to surpass Muncy's 12 with more than a minute remaining on his clock.QuarterfinalsThe first round featured a perfectly timed timeout, the top seed going home, a near miss on an attempted buzzer-beater and some hometown love.It was Hoskins who nailed the timeout use, drilling 12 of his 17 long balls in the final two minutes. Top-seeded Jesus Aguilar of the Milwaukee Brewers (12) couldn't match his total and was eliminated. Hoskins was unfazed by the stage of his first Derby, catching fire in the closing stretch to set the initial tone.Rhys Hoskins rhyshoskinsI鈥檇 like to send my condolences to all of the balls that were harmed in the making of that Derby #OHMYGOODNESSIt paled in comparison to the drama in the showdown between Schwarber and Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros.Schwarber became the first player to earn the 30 seconds of bonus time with multiple moonshots into the right field stands, one of which provided a souvenir to the third deck. He won 16-15, as the Astros third baseman just missed a tiebreak by smacking the wall on his final swing.Jayson Stark jaysonstThat Schwarber-Bregman duel was one of the most fun Derby rounds in recent memory. Bregmans last swing missed tying it by 2 feet. So he lost, 16-15. But an awesome round by the Derbys favorite mighty mite.Sixteen blasts wasn't enough for the other Cub, as Javier Baez fell short of Muncy's 17 dingers. The Dodgers star did it in style, walking off with 35 seconds remaining and sending a message to those who weren't familiar with the breakout slugger.As far as the crowd was concerned, it was all setup before Harper. The Nationals slugger fed off the energy and chants, eliminating division rival Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves, 13-12, and keeping the home favorite alive before he eventually won.