Shohei Ohtani’s Clash With Japanese Childhood Icon Ends in a Stalemate, Seoul Series Underway With Excitement

The Seoul Series has started with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres going all guns blazing on each other. One battle that had piqued every fan’s interest – the Battle between two Japanese icons. It was Shohei Ohtani going against his childhood idol Yu Darvish for the first time in their career. So how did it go? Well, it certainly didn’t disappoint. 

In a battle of attrition, both Darvish and Ohtani put their best foot forward. With Darvish throwing some devilish fastballs, Shotime initially had trouble hitting the ball. However, gradually things improved, and the battle got more intense. With Ohtani and Darvish going blow for blow – the matchup was everything it was hyped up to be.

Shohei Ohtani and Yu Darvish go all out against each other

Ohtani had already made it clear that he was excited about hitting against Darvish. So did Darvish in an interview with Kyodo News. So after Mookie Betts got a walk due to a pitch clock violation and Ohtani stepped up to the plate, the atmosphere became quite electric. 

The loud fans suddenly became quiet as they took a minute to understand how monumental this moment was. A Japanese legend against another legend, two players who have inspired millions – this was special. Initial pitches by Darvish went out of the strike zone. Later, Ohtani hit the ball but was grounded into a fielder’s choice. So it was 1-0 for Darvish.

Later in the third inning, Ohtani once again stood against Darvish. However, this time, he picked up his first hit as a Dodger. It was a 112.3 mph shot to the right field. Immediately after, Ohtani stole the second base. Just like that, Ohtani had equalled Darvish in their battle. However, by the 4th inning, the Padres removed Darvish after he threw 72 pitches. The battle was over and it was a tie.

But with three strikeouts and no earned runs, Darvish had a great game. With the ace slowly working to regain fitness, things are looking bright for him. 

The ace shows signs of a strong comeback 

While the battle between Ohtani and Darvish was the main event, the game was filled with memorable situations. The third inning saw Darvish pulling an escape of a lifetime. More importantly, in the span of a few minutes, one saw Darvish failing and then pulling himself back together like only he could.

Ohtani’s hit was immediately followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers filling all the bases. With the Padres being at risk of losing their lead, Darvish struck out Max Munchy and saved the lead. That was it as just a few pitches later Darvish was called out of the field. 

While this ended their battle, the war continued. With them being in the same division, we’ll see plenty of matchups between Ohtani and Darvish in the future. And if this was anything to go by, it sure would be a sight to see.

Read more: MLB Opening Day Seoul Bound: Everything You Need to Know About I-5 Dodgers-Padres Feud