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Shohei Ohtani Flabbergasted After Striking Out on Nick Lodolo's Nasty Breaking Ball

Record scratch* *Freeze frame* Yep that's me. You're probably wondering how I got here. - Ohtani, probably.

Tim Capurso

Shohei Ohtani, armed with an elite eye at the plate, had to adjust his vision after this pitch from the Reds hurler.
Shohei Ohtani, armed with an elite eye at the plate, had to adjust his vision after this pitch from the Reds hurler. / Screengrab Twitter @TalkinBaseball_
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Cincinnati Reds lefthander Nick Lodolo was dealing on Tuesday night.

And surpisingly, one of Lodolo's repeat strikeout victims was none other than reigning National League MVP and Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani. Lodolo struck out the side in the top of the first inning, and got Ohtani to chase a wicked curveball down-and-away. Then, the Reds lefty got Ohtani looking on a four-seam fastball in the top of the third inning.

But the Reds southpaw saved a particularly nasty breaking ball for Ohtani's third at-bat of the game. Lodolo threw three straight curveballs, the first of which Ohtani fouled off, the second of which he swung and missed. The third pitch was a filthy curveball that appeared to be headed towards the strike zone, but then yanked out of reach of Ohtani's outstretched bat.

So filthy was the pitch that Ohtani, armed with some of the best plate vision in the world, had to recalibrate his eyesight after the pitch. Or he was simply flabbergasted that he had whiffed for a third time in the contest against Lodolo.

Either way, it was a tough night for Ohtani. Even three-time MVPs have them.

As for Lodolo, the Reds pitcher recorded a season-high 11 strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings of work.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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