Vinny Pasquantino has faced the two hardest pitches Ohtani has ever thrown.
Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinny Pasquantino isn’t in the World Series, but he still had to settle some business with Shohei Ohtani.
Ohtani is attempting to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a second straight World Series title and the eighth franchise to win consecutive championships. Expect Ohtani to do something special; last time he played, he hit three home runs and pitched six shutout innings in the Dodgers’ NLCS sweep of the Brewers.
Pasquantino, on the other hand, hasn’t played since September; the Royals didn’t make the playoffs. But he’s in Toronto for the World Series as a correspondent for MLB, and he got a chance to interview Ohtani on Thursday.
The two hardest pitches Ohtani has ever thrown — 102-mph four-seamers — were both to Pasquantino. One came in the World Baseball Classic in 2023, and the other happened this past season.
The Royals first baseman asked the Dodgers’ superstar: “Why do you throw so hard to me? Why do you hate me?”
Fair question. Few people could keep up with that pitch, and Pasquantino getting both offerings seemed like an interesting coincidence.
Ohtani played it classy, responding, “You’re just a really good hitter, I have to.”
Pasquantino immediately rebutted by saying that the answer “wasn’t good enough. You throw too hard, Shohei.”
You can’t blame him for thinking that since he’s just 1-for-4 in his career against the Japanese superstar.
But Pasquantino shouldn’t take it personally. Ohtani tends to own most people he faces on the mound.
Just ask the Brewers.
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