"It was June 28 in Kansas City, and the weather was so hot around midday that Ohtani at one point crouched in the corner of Kauffman Stadium's left-field bullpen to rest underneath the only sliver of shade available. His fastball barely broke 90 mph as he prepared for that afternoon's game, worrying some of the Los Angeles Dodgers coaches. Then came the first inning."
"The Royals had two men on with one out. Vinnie Pasquantino, a notorious fastball hitter, came to bat. Ohtani sought to challenge him and unleashed a four-seamer that traveled 101.7 mph, inducing a double play and eliciting a lighthearted response from the Royals' first baseman. To a staff still learning about the pitching version of Ohtani, that pitch revealed something about the way his stuff reacts when it's met with adrenaline, and what it might mean within the backdrop of baseball's postseason."
On June 28 in Kansas City, extreme heat left Shohei Ohtani resting in the bullpen's only sliver of shade while his early warmups produced fastballs under 90 mph. In the first inning, with two on and one out, Ohtani challenged Vinnie Pasquantino and uncorked a four-seamer that registered 101.7 mph, inducing a double play and surprising opponents. Dodgers coaches observed that Ohtani can "turn it on" when adrenaline hits, revealing elite high-leverage pitching potential. Ohtani is scheduled to start the final regular-season game against Arizona, aligning him to start Game 1 of the wild-card round as a two-way player.
Read at ESPN.com
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