One small step sent Shohei Ohtani toward two-way success in MLB

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Eric Hinske began by leaving Shohei Ohtani alone. He sat back and watched the 23-year-old two-way phenom get swallowed up by major league fastballs inside and above the belt for the better part of four weeks. Only then did he suggest the drastic mechanical adjustment that ultimately would make all the difference.

Shortly after the Los Angeles Angels wrapped up spring training in Arizona, Hinske, in his first season as the team's hitting coach, asked Ohtani whether he would consider ditching his traditional high leg kick and replacing it with a subtle toe tap. The Freeway Series, an annual three-game set of exhibition games against the crosstown Los Angeles Dodgers, was…