Ohtani Fever Catches On In L.A. After Latest Pitching Gem

Shohei Ohtani's first start on the mound at Angel Stadium yesterday saw the club sell 44,742 tickets, "more than for opening day, more than for any regular-season day game since they downsized their stadium 20 years ago" (L.A. TIMES, 4/9).

Ohtani in front of the sold-out crowd took a perfect game into the seventh inning in the 6-1 win over the A's, and with "only two starts" so far it is "safe to say this now can officially be labeled the Ohtani Phenomenon." It is "something that goes way beyond the club’s merchandise sales or marketing agreements with Japanese companies." Baseball’s only two-way player is "actually pulling this off, at least so far" (PE.com, 4/8).