March 5, 2021 9:13 PM : Ohtani completed 1.2 innings in Friday's Cactus League contest against Oakland, allowing one run on three hits and two walks while striking out five.
Analysis: Ohtani's control -- especially on his slider -- wasn't in peak form, but the two-way star recorded all five of his outs via strikeout and touched 100 mph on his fastball, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. More importantly, manager Joe Maddon liked what he saw in terms of Ohtani's mechanics, which never appeared to be in sync last season. "It really starts with his delivery, I think it's more clean and consistent," Maddon said. "I like his arm stroke better. It starts there and then he's able to recapture the velocity he's had in the past, and the really good break of his splitter. The big thing for his success is going to be repetition of delivery and knowing where his fastball is going consistently." Ohtani won't have any restrictions as part of the Angels' six-man rotation this season, though health is always a concern considering that injuries have limited him to 53.1 total innings on the mound over three big-league seasons.