Shohei Ohtani spoke frankly to reporters about the Los Angeles Angels’ season after he returned home to Japan on Tuesday.
According to CBS Sports, Ohtani told Associated Press reporter Koji Ueda that he had a “negative impression” of the season. He admitted he had “a good season for me personally,” but implied that the Angels’ season as a whole was disappointing.
“I have to say that August and September in particular felt longer to me than last year,” Ohtani said during an interview with Ueda at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. “We were not able to play as many good games as we would like, including 14 consecutive losses. So I have a rather negative impression of this season.”
As a talented pitcher who is great at the plate, Ohtani is currently considered one of the MLB’s best two-way players. According to the Bleacher Report, he finished the season with 34 home runs, 95 RBI and 11 stolen bases. He also threw 219 strikeouts in 166 innings as a pitcher.
Ohtani recently signed a one-year, $30 million contract with the Angels. It was the most significant single-year salary for an arbitration-eligible player in MLB history. However, many fans and journalists are still wondering if Ohtani will continue to play for the Angels after the one-year is up.
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