Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani isn’t just the best dual threat baseball player since Babe Ruth: He’s also the most “graceful” player ever to take part in a brawl.
In a benches-clearing fight during Sunday’s game against the Seattle Mariners, Ohtani, the Los Angeles Angels slugging outfielder who also pitches like an ace, bounded lithely out of the dugout, waded into the scrum and gently peeled away Mariners’ pitching coach Pete Woodworth, who he then politely patted on the shoulder. Ohtani’s interpreter was behind him the entire time, wearing a COVID mask and presumably trying to ensure Ohtani’s safety.
“Shohei Ohtani is the most graceful participant in a baseball fight ever,” tweeted BaseballFightClub.
“I’m convinced this man can stop the Russia Ukraine war,” tweeted Dominick DeCocco. “What a likeable man.”
Shohei Ohtani is the most graceful participant in a baseball fight ever pic.twitter.com/CjdrIELinR
— Baseball Fight Club (@mlb_fights) June 27, 2022
The fight started when Mariners’ outfielder Jesse Winker was plunked by Angels’ pitcher Andrew Wantz, who had already thrown a pitch behind Julio Rodriguez’s head an inning earlier. The errant pitches were apparently retaliation for one that nearly hit Angels’ superstar Mike Trout in the head on Saturday night.
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The Angels, who wound up winning the game by a 2-1 score, must have cringed in fear at the mere sight of Ohtani entering the fray. They could ill afford to lose the player who may be the best in the game, and is certainly the most talented.
Ohtani had just finished up an incredible week that saw him blast two three-run homers and drive in eight runs against Kansas City on Tuesday, and then come back the next night to strike out 13 Royals over eight innings of two-hit ball.
For the season, Ohtani is hitting .260 with 16 homers and 47 RBI at the plate and is 6-4 with 90 strikeouts in 68 innings and a 2.90 earned run average.
The brawl caused an 18-minute delay and resulted in the ejection of managers Scott Servais of Seattle and Phil Nevin of Los Angeles, as well as Winker, Wantz; Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford; Rodriguez; and Angels’ relief pitchers Raisel Iglesias and Ryan Tepera.
On Tuesday, Major League Baseball suspended Nevin for 10 games, Winker for seven, Crawford for five, Angels pitchers Wantz and Tepera for three games and seven other players or coaches for lesser periods.