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The One Baseball's Been Waiting For

A version of this story appears in ESPN The Magazine's April 23 NEXT issue. Subscribe today!

Luis Valbuena bears witness. The Angels third baseman watches Shohei Ohtani finish the first inning of his first start with a three-pitch strikeout that starts with a 100 mph fastball and ends with an 89 mph splitter that takes a late, cartoonish dive to avoid a bat held by Oakland's Matt Olson. Valbuena starts jogging toward the dugout with his eyes down and his head slowly shaking -- just a guy from Venezuela appreciating a guy from Japan as they play together in California.