Before Friday’s stunning come-from-behind victory over the Orioles, reporters were waiting for Dave Roberts to announce the lstarting lineup.
Usually when the lineup announcement is delayed, it means an injury popped up or someone was going on IL.
So when Roberts announced the batting lineup, there was one major omission at the very top.
Advertisement
Shohei Ohtani.
But before speculation could run rampant about Ohtani’s health — especially after he was removed from a game a week ago with knee inflammation — Roberts set the record straight: Ohtani was away on paternity leave for the birth of his second child.
That leave is expected to be short as Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko, announced via Instagram the birth of the couple’s second child.
“We are again overjoyed to experience this wonderful day in our lives together,” the post read. “Thank you for being born safely. We would also like to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported us throughout this journey.”
Entering Friday, Ohtani ranked second in the National League in OPS as a hitter, trailing only Juan Soto with a .963 mark to go along with 15 home runs, 42 RBIs and a .296 batting average.
On the mound, the right-hander has also been one of the best pitchers in the sport, owning a 7-2 record and 1.47 ERA. While Ohtani isn’t qualified as a pitcher (with only 73 2/3 innings through the team’s first 75 games), only Milwaukee Brewers flame-thrower Jacob Misiorowski has a lower ERA among pitchers with at least 70 innings.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
