OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Shohei Ohtani era in Major League Baseball is expected to begin as a pinch hitter on Thursday afternoon when the Los Angeles Angels open the 2018 season against the Oakland Athletics.
Angels manager Mike Scioscia announced this week that Ohtani, a dominant force in Japan as a hitter and a pitcher, will be the club's starting pitcher in the series finale on Sunday.
As for the 23-year-old's role in the first three games, Scioscia has kept his thoughts to himself in regard to the left-handed batter who hit just .