Shohei Ohtani reveals who would win in Ohtani vs. Ohtani pitcher-hitter matchup

Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani is an ace pitcher and feared batter. But which version of him would win in an Ohtani vs. Ohtani matchup?

Shohei Ohtani is a once-in-a-generation talent capable of both pitching and batting at an All-Star level.

But what if Ohtani the pitcher had to take on Ohtani the batter?

The Angels star was recently asked about which side he’d bet on in that scenario and he was pretty quick to give his answer.

Shohei Ohtani reveals who would win in Ohtani vs. Ohtani matchup

“If we’re talking this year, the pitcher Ohtani wins. He can just throw the heater down the middle and the batter has no shot,” Ohtani said via his Japanese interpretor.

This year Ohtani has a 2.38 ERA on the mound with a 9-4 record in 15 starts.

As a batter, he hasn’t had the utterly ridiculous start to the 2022 campaign that he produced last year. In the first half of 2021, he had 33 home runs with an OPS of 1.062. This year, he’s still rolling with 19 home runs and an OPS of .8335. Those numbers are great. They’re just not god-like the way they were in 2021.

Maybe Ohtani’s answer would have been different if he’d been talking about his form last summer but he’s still a batter and pitcher few are eager to face. One of the best things about being Ohtani is not having to go against himself in either role.

It’s just a shame the Angels haven’t performed as a team at the level that would give Ohtani and Mike Trout more of a platform for their greatness. LA is sitting in fourth place in the AL West with an utterly disappointing 39-53 record.