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Angels' Shohei Ohtani Has Start Moved to Friday After Team Bus Got Stuck in Traffic
May 28, 2021
Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani will miss his scheduled start on Thursday against the Oakland Athletics.
He's not injured—he just got stuck in traffic.
Manager Joe Maddon told reporters that Ohtani was on one of the team's buses that got stuck in traffic, so he was forced to take a BART train to Oakland's RingCentral Coliseum. He'll now bat second as the team's designated hitter on Thursday and start on Friday.
The change came because Ohtani wasn't able to get to the stadium in time for an adequate warm-up. Patrick Sandoval will start in his place Thursday.
According to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, an accident on the Bay Bridge, which connects San Francisco to Oakland, delayed the team's travel. San Francisco's rapid transit system replied to his report, denying that there was any issue on the BART that further delayed the team's arrival.
Ohtani has made six starts this season, amassing a 2.37 ERA while allowing three home runs and fanning 45 in 30.1 innings. His presence on the mound could have gotten the Angels off to a strong start in their four-game series with their AL West rival.
Sandoval has made two starts in five appearances this season, his third in the league, with a 4.96 ERA.
The Angels (22-27) are fourth in the division and six games behind the first-place A's (29-22).
