This article first appeared on SportsLook, JAPAN Forward's dedicated sports website.
The second full season of Shohei Ohtani's one-of-a-kind role as a full-time starting pitcher and designated hitter for the Los Angeles Angels produced impressive numbers.
The reigning American League MVP belted 34 home runs and drove in 95 runs. He batted .273, raising his average from .257 in 2021. Although he struck out 162 times, that number was a significant reduction from last season's total (189 whiffs).
Ohtani further developed as the ace of the Angels pitching staff. After going 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA and 156 strikeouts in 130⅓ innings (23 starts) in 2021, the Iwate Prefecture native had better numbers across the board from the pitching mound in 2022.
He went 15-9 in 28 starts, fanned 219 batters in 166 innings and lowered his ERA to 2.33 for the Angels, who missed the playoffs with a 73-89 record.
Appearing in 157 games as a hitter, Ohtani's durability and productivity were on display as he made 666 plate appearances, far more than the minimum 502 to qualify for hitting leaderboards.
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Author: Ed Odeven
Follow Ed on JAPAN Forward's [Japan Sports Notebook] here on Sundays, in [Odds and Evens] here during the week, and Twitter ＠ed_odeven, and find him on JAPAN Forward's dedicated sports website, SportsLook.
