Angels' Shohei Ohtani opening eyes with this wicked pitch
With an ability to hit and pitch at an elite level, Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels may be the best player of this generation.
As a pitcher, Ohtani is especially dominant. From his rookie season in 2018 to today, he has a 162-game average of 15 wins, 240 strikeouts and a 2.89 ERA. Per Baseball Savant, his fastball averages 97.2 mph this season -- one of the best figures in the big leagues.
What separates Ohtani from other big-league pitchers, though, is his mastery of a new pitch, the sweeper. A handful of pitchers throw it, but no one throws it like Ohtani.
The sweeper is a combination of a curve and a slider. Ohtani’s curve relies on vertical, or near-vertical, 12-6 movement and comes in at about 77 mph. His slider relies on angular movement and averages about 84 mph. However, his sweeper relies on horizontal movement with minimal-to-no-vertical movement and comes in at roughly the same speed as his slider.
The deceptive element of Ohtani’s sweeper is its great movement. Per Baseball Savant, Ohtani is averaging 18 inches of movement on his sweeper this season, an amazing stat.
Ohtani's sweeper made an impression during the World Baseball Classic in March when he used it to strike out future Hall of Famer and Angels teammate Mike Trout.
The amount of movement, deception and pinpoint accuracy Ohtani displays in his sweeper is uncanny. Ohtani’s dominance with this one pitch harkens memories of Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux, who threw a nasty two-seam fastball.
Ohtani's next opportunity to make your jaw drop comes Tuesday against the Washington Nationals. Be prepared to be amazed by his special pitch, the sweeper.
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