Was Shohei Ohtani tipping his pitches to Yankees?
Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani react as manager Joe Maddon approaches to take him out during the fourth inning against the Yankees in Game 1 of an MLB doubleheader at Yankee Stadium on Thursday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Calling Shohei Ohtani a 21st century Babe Ruth is a fair comparison almost anywhere on the planet.
Just not in the Bronx.
Once Ohtani crosses into this particular borough, his unique powers take a U-turn for the next No. 4 train to Manhattan.
And Angels manager Joe Maddon went as far as to suggest that the Yankees’ ability to “read pitchers” — wink, wink — could be the reason Ohtani wasn’t his superstar self in getting thumped again in the Bronx, this time for a season-high eight hits, including three home runs, in just three innings-plus.
Newly minted leadoff hitter Matt Carpenter frustrated Ohtani through his first 10 pitches before smacking the 11th into the second deck in rightfield. Two batters later, Gleyber Torres also took Ohtani deep. Aaron Judge opened the third inning with a 109.9-mph rocket for his 19th homer that pretty much sealed the Yankees’ 6-1 victory in Game 1 of the split doubleheader.
“They were on everything,” Maddon said. “Fastball-slider-split, they were on everything. I don’t know. They’re just that good maybe? And [Ohtani] just had a tough day because of that.”
But Maddon took a step further in trying to explain Ohtani’s shortest outing in nine starts this season. Ohtani previously had given up five homers in 44 1/3 innings before the Yankees smacked him for three in the span of 11 batters.
A few more interesting wrinkles to Thursday’s dud? Ohtani came in averaging 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings but had just two Ks — half his previous low this season. The Yankees had only three swings and misses in 75 pitches from Ohtani, who throws 100 mph and features a five-pitch repertoire. Maddon called that stat “very unusual.”
“They’re really good at reading pitchers,” Maddon said. “But I’m not accusing anybody of anything except that they’re good at it. If you’re able to acquire things through natural means, I’m all into it. I think it’s great. I used to be able to when I was a bench coach. Often times get the third-base coach’s’ signs or the bench coach’s signs to the catcher.
“I don’t have the bandwidth to do that now with everything else I’m doing, so I haven’t paid that much attention. But there are things that pitchers do that other teams pick up on. And when you have a group of guys that are good at that, they can gain an advantage. We just have to be more vigilant.”
Maddon had to know he was tiptoeing across an explosive tripwire in these parts. We’re only a few weeks removed from the unsealing of the “Yankee Letter,” the court-released document that dredged up all the illegal sign-stealing claims that sprouted from the 2017 season. But there’s nothing nefarious about dissecting a pitcher’s tendencies, or noticing if he’s tipping, and Aaron Boone didn’t refute what Maddon said about the Yankees being good at it.
“I think we are, too,” Boone said. “I hope we continue to be good at it.”
Whatever the Yankees’ methods, they definitely solved Ohtani. The one consolation? He still managed to lower his ERA against them from 94.50 to 27.00. That’s how bad his Bronx debut went a year ago. As for him potentially tipping his pitches, Ohtani smiled.
“I’m not sure,” he said through an interpreter. “You should probably ask the other side. You’ll probably get an answer.”
Based on what we’ve come to expect from Ohtani, his Bronx bummers are an inexplicable phenomenon. He’s the reigning American League MVP, a former Rookie of the Year, a charismatic All-Star with a rock god following in Japan — all suggesting that Ohtani is a proven performer under the scrutiny of a 24/7 spotlight.
But the Yankees dismantled him from the jump, starting with Carpenter, who was signed out of the Rangers’ farm system a week earlier. Carpenter had never faced Ohtani, but he studied up on him and executed his strategy to perfection during the 11-pitch at-bat.
“I had a pretty strong game plan as far as what I thought I wanted to do,” Carpenter said. “Which was to try to stay on his fastball, look in the middle of the plate, and hopefully at least foul off the off-speed pitches. For anybody that throws 100 mph, if you’re not on that, then you don’t have a chance on anything else.”
When it came to cashing in, however, Carpenter recalled Ohtani’s tendency to go to his slider/cutter with a full count, and that’s what he got for the home run. Was that Carpenter’s diligence? Or Ohtani wilting in another Bronx stage start?
“Two games is a small sample size,” Ohtani said. “I don’t think the pressure thing is much of a big deal to me. I just need to make my pitches and be on the top of my game.”
But Ohtani isn’t able to do that in the Bronx, and the Yankees — for whatever reason — certainly deserve the credit.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
