Shohei Ohtani is well known for being one of the best hitters and pitchers in all of baseball.
But that doesn’t mean that the two-way star can’t be blown away by certain pitches and pitchers at times.
Last night, the New York Yankees brought in the recently reinstated Clay Holmes to face the Los Angeles Angels in the bottom half of the eighth.
While facing Ohtani, Holmes cranked a 100-mph sinker.
It was off the plate for a ball, but when the camera panned back to Ohtani, he was visibly surprised to see that Holmes’ sinker registered in the triple digits.
Holmes Hits 100…On A Sinker
Even Ohtani was shocked to see Holmes hit 100 right there.
With a fastball, that’s never a surprise for certain pitchers.
But when you throw a sinker that clocks in at 100-mph, that means you’ve got some nasty stuff that can blow even some of the best hitters in the business away, including Ohtani, who is putting together yet another MVP-caliber season.
Holmes, when healthy, has been everything the Yankees have needed in their bullpen. especially with the struggles of Aroldis Chapman.
But who would’ve expected him to bust out a sinker at 100-mph?
The Yankees might have seen that one coming, but Ohtani sure didn’t and neither did the Angels.
That’s what makes Ohtani’s reaction to the pitch so great.
Even the best hitters in all of baseball can’t always see something like that coming.
For Ohtani, it’s a good thing it was a ball or else he might have swung and missed at it.
For the Yankees, this is good news.
It seems as if Holmes isn’t any worse for wear after being out for a brief time.
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