Ohtani gets furious at his rookie catcher and takes over the game - explained
A sports breakdown video about the night Shohei Ohtani got fed up with his rookie catcher and simply seized control — and then threw the fastest pitches of his career.
There's really a couple ways of communicating. One is by words, but the other way is by example and just taking charge.
Receipt
After four consecutive bad splitters with no adjustment, Otani walked into the tunnel and informed Rushing he was taking over pitch-calling — then immediately installed Pitchcom on his own sleeve.
The pivot point of the game: Ohtani's frustration crosses a threshold and he physically seizes control from his rookie catcher.
Receipt
It was pretty embarrassing. Thankfully he's as good as he is and he could take control of a game.
Rushing acknowledges his own failure and credits Ohtani's intervention for salvaging the situation.
Receipt
When Rushing tried to wave off the challenge, Otani challenged anyway — then gave his catcher a simple nod after winning it. Just: I'm Shohei Ohtani. Don't forget it.
Receipt
Otani's fastball averaged 99.8 mph on the day — the fastest average velocity of his career — after he took over calling his own pitches.
Self-calling unlocked a career-best velocity, quantifying exactly what Ohtani's takeover produced on the mound.
Receipt
Ask a question
Ask about anything in this video. We’ll try to provide an answer.