Shohei Ohtani Allows 3 Runs and 3 Hits in 6 Innings in Angels Pitching Debut

Los Angeles Angels pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani made his MLB pitching debut on Sunday, allowing three runs in six innings and leaving the game with the Angels leading the Oakland Athletics.

The Angels won the game, 7-4.

The heralded rookie responded to a spotty spring training with an excellent first start, displaying his nasty stuff in the process:

Ohtani also struck out six batters and walked just one in the contest.

At times, Ohtani looked downright unhittable:

That didn't stop Matt Chapman from blasting a three-run homer against him in the bottom of the second, however: 

As Bob Nightengale of USA Today noted, Ohtani calmed down after the blast, retiring 14 of the last 15 hitters he faced.

And B/R's Zachary D. Rymer didn't think the home run was solely on Ohtani: 

Ohtani, 23, made his MLB debut as a designated hitter on Thursday, singling in his first at-bat. He finished 1-for-5.

"I had some good at-bats and some not so good at-bats," he said after that game, per Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com. "That (first) at-bat, I'm probably never going to forget the rest of my life. Now I have to have better at-bats to help the team."

And his manager, Mike Scioscia, reiterated after that game that the Angels firmly believe in his talent:

"We know that Shohei, just like any player, is excited but Shohei is well beyond his years as far analyzing the game and going out there and understanding his talent. We're very comfortable that he's going to go out there and compete very well and hopefully help us win. I think the illusion might be he's taking things in stride but he's very confident and I don't know if you get a sense of how hard he's worked to get acclimated to baseball in the United States. I think he's done a great job and we feel he's ready."

Ohtani then was given Friday and Saturday off in anticipation of pitching on Sunday, and he certainly lived up to the hype in his first start. As Rymer noted, his slider remains a work in progress, but both his fastball and splitter looked fantastic.

"All I know is that I wouldn't want to be tasked with hitting Ohtani's splitter," Rymer added.