November 13, 2016

Shohei Ohtani hits a ball out of a domed stadium.:
Man hit ball hard. Ball leaves domed stadium. World is stunned.

posted by grum@work to baseball at 10:46 PM - 10 comments

Let's also point out that he can pitch, and is able to throw the ball 165km/hr (which is 102.5mph).

He's the Japanese Babe Ruth.

And he will be able to be posted for MLB bidding for the 2018 season.

(If there was a true international draft, this is the guy everyone would be 76'ers-tanking it for.)

posted by grum@work at 10:48 PM on November 13, 2016

Shouldn't that be a ground rule double?

posted by rumple at 12:12 AM on November 14, 2016

Yes. I believe it was declared a ground rule double after the umps got together.

posted by grum@work at 12:41 AM on November 14, 2016

Thanks for the HD version, grum. Hai!

posted by NoMich at 08:47 AM on November 14, 2016

Seeing the video I was less impressed. I thought he hit it through the dome, not through a hole in the roof.

posted by billsaysthis at 10:47 AM on November 14, 2016

Thanks grum, I'd forgotten how much I love listening to Japanese commentators during baseball games.

posted by Mothball at 01:18 PM on November 14, 2016

And he will be able to be posted for MLB bidding for the 2018 season.

I watched a bit of the discussion on the next video that followed grum's link (many thanks, grum, it took me back to my years in Japan). The topic was what would Ohtani's role be on an MLB team. If he were to go to a National League team, it would be more difficult for him to pitch as well as play every day than it would be in the American League. In the Junior Circuit (I thought I would drop that term to see how many of you remember it), he could very nicely DH whenever he was not pitching. As a bonus, when he was on the mound, an AL team could use the DH for one of the position players other than pitcher. I don't know what Ohtani thinks of his role, but I can see a team in MLB trying to convert him out of pitching. What say all of you?

posted by Howard_T at 05:12 PM on November 14, 2016

Does Japan have designated hitters? How much playing time does this guy get now?

posted by bender at 11:30 PM on November 14, 2016

Does Japan have designated hitters?

It used to be that the Pacific League did not use the DH while the Central League did. I understand that the rule has become similar to what happens in the US, because there is now interleague play in Japan. In other words, Pacific League teams use the DH when playing in a Central League park. Nippon Ham is a Pacific League team, thus could use Ohtani as a DH when playing on the road against a Central League team. Does this happen? I have no idea.

posted by Howard_T at 10:14 PM on November 15, 2016

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