With half of the MLB teams having someone in the stands on Thursday, Shohei Otani showed he can still pitch — despite not having done so since July 12.
All 30 big league clubs' talent evaluators, including longtime New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman who was at the game, already know Otani can throw really, really hard and has displayed good skill with his forkball, curve and slider. But due to an October ankle injury and an April thigh injury, Thursday's start against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks was just his third live game on the mound since last year's Japan Series.
The Fighters lost 4-3 against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and Otani's bottom line — four runs allowed on three hits and three walks and four strikeouts in 3-1/3 innings, was nothing special — but it was a positive showing considering the circumstances.