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Shohei Ohtani impresses in first major league start

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim  v Oakland Athletics

OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 01: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitches in the bottom of the first inning of his Major League pitching debut against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on April 1, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

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Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani impressed in his first start in the majors, facing the Athletics on Sunday afternoon in Oakland. The right-hander went six innings, allowing three runs on three hits and a walk with six strikeouts. All three runs came on Matt Chapman’s three-run home run in the bottom of the second inning. Ohtani was otherwise dominant.

As Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports notes, Ohtani threw 39 fastballs, averaging just under 98 MPH. He reached 100 MPH three times and 99 nine times. Across all 92 pitches, he made batters whiff 18 times. Five of those whiffs came on his splitter.

Ohtani collected his first major league hit in his first at-bat on Opening Day, when he was in the lineup as a DH.

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