KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There’s this thing that happens when Shohei Ohtani comes to the plate, something that doesn’t happen with anyone else. Not for Mike Trout. Not for Bryce Harper. Not for anyone.
Hoards of people—both Angels and Royals fans this past weekend—pull out their smartphones and record entire at-bats. It’s something that has rarely happened since the home run-bashing days of Barry Bonds or the home run race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa in 1998. Everyone is always expecting something special to happen whenever Ohtani steps onto a baseball field.