Angels' Shohei Ohtani vs. Yankees' Masahiro Tanaka: Stars aligning for showdown

by Felix Pantaleón

Yankees right hander Masahiro Tanaka gave up four runs in five innings of work on Monday, May 21, 2018 (5/21/18) in a 10-5 win over the Texas Rangers. Angels rookie Shohei Ohtani pitched a career-high 7.2 innings in a 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, May 20, 2018 (5/20/18).

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The pitching matchup everyone is hoping for appears on track to happen.

On Sunday, the Yankees and Angels will conclude a three-game series at Yankee Stadium.

Scheduled to pitch for the Yankees is Masahiro Tanaka.

As of right now, the Angels starter is technically listed as “undecided.” But in reality, that slot should be filled by rookie Shohei Ohtani, giving everyone the much-anticipated showdown between Japanese stars.

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However they will head into the game with their seasons going in opposite directions.

Tanaka gave up four runs in five innings of work in Monday’s 10-5 win over the Texas Rangers, pushing his ERA to 4.95 this season.

Ohtani pitched Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays, going a career-high 7.2 innings and striking out nine in a 5-2 win for the Angels. He improved to 4-1 this season and dropped his ERA to 3.35

And don’t forget about Ohtani’s bat. He’s hitting .321 with six home runs and 17 RBI this season, as he tries to live up to the hype of being the Japanese Babe Ruth.

Per MLB.com, the pitchers do have some history of facing each other, with Ohtani as a hitter:

Tanaka said he recalled facing Ohtani in 2013; batting for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, Ohtani was 0-for-11 with six strikeouts, a walk and a hit-by-pitch that year against Tanaka, who went 24-0 for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles before scoring a big contract with the Yankees.

As of right now, the Angels have not let Ohtani hit when he is the starting pitcher. Don’t expect that to change Sunday, depriving us of the ultimate Tanaka vs. Ohtani battle. But down the road? Angels manager Mike Scioscia hinted he’s open to the idea, per the Los Angeles Times:

“We have considered it. It would take an extreme, you know, something you might consider in September, if it was something that was really critical and you needed his bat in the lineup.”

Mike Rosenstein may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @rosenstein73. Find NJ.com on Facebook.