Shohei Ohtani NEARLY hits for the CYCLE while ALSO striking out EIGHT Athletics!

A home start this afternoon for Shohei Ohtani leading the Angels on to the field and Shohei has had all things working to start the season. He's only allowed two earned runs. He's had 38 strikeouts and he's just been marvelous. The day begins with a Shohei Ohtani strikeout. Este Yuri Ruiz punches out against Ohtani. One batter faced one K for the unicorn for a little bit. Phil Nevin was tinkering with the idea of having Ohtani bat second on the days that he was pitching but Shohei is batting third here today. Tony throws his bat at the ball. It's going to be a tough play for Peterson Ohtani beats it out an infield hit that sweeper off the plate barely made contact. But once it gets by the pitcher especially a left handed throwing pitcher you're going to fall towards the third base side the pitching mound unable to be covered to get to that baseball you knew that was going to be a base hit for showing with that speed going down the line wave and a miss Peterson way out in front on the sweeper from Shohei Ohtani he's had a strikeout at each of the first two innings down there's one away in the second Ohtani getting ahead with fastballs we'll see what he tries to put him away with it's a fastball and it's strike three called ninety eight on the outside corner to freeze Langley's third strikeout for Shohei Ohtani all the different pitch types and machinations of those types. Shohei has got a lot working through his mind on the mound and through his own transmitter wow even a missed he has sweeping at the sweeper and he'll go have a seat as he's the fourth strikeout victim today for Shohei swing and a miss Tyler Wade strikes out and Shohei Ohtani has swept through the A's order. Now I hope yourself moment for Shohei who has hit many more home runs than he's allowed. He's trying to give himself the lead here. He's got an infield hit today. Ohtani Lodge a base hit. It scores one as Walnut comes home. Ward's on his way to third as Ruiz cuts it off. Ohtani slides in a second. It's an RBI double pitchers who rake. Well nobody rakes like Shohei and it's one nothing in favor of the Angels. Tough inning here for Shohei trying to battle through with the game still tied and Kemp strikes out. That was set up because he threw a couple of four seam fastballs elevated one to swing and a miss. Ohtani gets Ruiz to strikeout strike three called on the curve to Noda. That was a sweeper. By the way Shohei gets his seventh strikeout of the day. High fly right center cable back at the warning track at the wall he knocks it down but it falls in for a base hit. And Ohtani is going to end up at third with a triple. He's a home run away from the cycle. That ball is kept drifting and drifting and drifting. He gets the hardest one out of the way now with a triple Shohei and then his turn on the afterburners for a triple first triple the season. It's often happened over the last few seasons that Shohei Ohtani has done something that has never happened before in the history of Major League Baseball. He's a true unicorn in this game. As it comes to bat here in the bottom of the eighth inning he will have a chance to hit for the first cycle ever by a starting pitcher in a game in Major League Baseball history. Ohtani drives one right center field base Shohei but it's caught at the wall by Estelle Ruiz. He just missed the just at the wall. He thought he might have got it. Ruiz goes back to the wall and runs it down that close to history.