Shohei Ohtani's 102-MPH Fastball Elicits Hilarious Response From Royals Star
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The Shohei Ohtani show is back in full force, and Kansas City became the latest stop on Saturday.
Ohtani threw two innings for the first time since returning from Tommy John surgery and kept the Kansas City Royals scoreless. The Royals won the game 9-5, breaking a six-game losing streak, but it was still a big step forward for the Los Angeles Dodgers' two-way star.
The pitch of the day for Ohtani came in the bottom of the first inning. With runners on first and second, Ohtani threw a blazing 101.7 mile-per-hour fastball on the inside corner to first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, who bounced into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.
As it turns out, Ohtani may have some sort of beef with Pasquantino, and the Royals star is utterly perplexed by it.
ESPN insider Jeff Passan noted that Ohtani had not only thrown his fastest pitch of the season, but he's got a bit of a history throwing absolute fuel with Pasquantino in the box.
"This season, there have been 163 pitches thrown harder than 101.7 mph, which was the exact velocity on Ohtani’s fastball here," Passan posted on X. "That is the hardest pitch of his MLB career. Ohtani did hit 102 mph in the World Baseball Classic — funny enough against Vinnie Pasquantino as well."
Pasquantino, who is always good for a social media barb, responded with a simple, hilarious one-liner.
"Wtf," Pasquantino quipped.
The Royals' first baseman, who represented Team Italy in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, may see Ohtani and Team Japan again at the 2026 event. So he's trying to get out ahead of the situation.
"He keeps doing that to me. ... I need to talk to him," Pasquantino said, per Anne Rogers of MLB.com.
The Royals finally broke the losing streak, so Pasquantino can afford a laugh. They'll go for a much-needed series win over the Dodgers on Sunday.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org
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