After one of his most impressive games in MLB, Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani said Thursday he too has been inspired by compatriot Roki Sasaki's pitching feats back home in Japan.
The 20-year-old Sasaki, who like Ohtani comes from northeastern Japan's Iwate Prefecture and also reaches speeds in excess of 160 kilometers per hour, threw a 19-strikeout perfect game on April 10 and followed it by not allowing a runner for another eight innings while striking out 14 in Japanese pro baseball.
"Of course, that's an extraordinary thing to do," Ohtani said after he starred in the Angels' 6-0 win over the Houston Astros.
"To not allow a run for two consecutive games is awfully hard, but it shows what great stuff he has to not allow a hit either."
After beginning his 2022 season with two losses, Ohtani followed Sasaki's lead against the Astros, one of MLB's most powerful teams. He did not allow a base runner until the sixth inning while driving in two runs and matching his MLB high with 12 strikeouts.
"He was possessed tonight," Angels manager Joe Maddon said. "That was a virtuoso performance.
Maddon might not have been connecting the dots to the news from Japan, but Ohtani said he was not alone in taking note of Sasaki's achievements.
"Even in America, (Sasaki's games) were big news, so everybody knows about it," Ohtani said. "I want him to do even better, and I'd like to do what I can to spark him to that."
And on Wednesday, Ohtani threw down a marker, and Maddon saw something different.
"From the beginning he had a different look about him," Maddon said.
"I'm into the look and the intensity and the concentration, and it couldn't have been any higher. It's impossible."
Related coverage:
Baseball: Angels' Shohei Ohtani flirts with perfection, gets 1st win of 2022
FEATURE: Baseball: Fire-baller Roki Sasaki quickly fulfilling promise
