Angels' Logan O'Hoppe One of Few Catchers to Get Best of Shohei Ohtani This Year

Valentina Martinez | 5 Hours Ago

Jun 21, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) greets Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe (14) at the plate during his at bat in the first inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Only four catchers were able to throw out Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani in 2024. One of the four was Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe in June.

Catchers to throw out Shohei Ohtani this year:

June 21: Logan O'Hoppe (Angels)
July 14: Carson Kelly (Tigers)
July 22: Patrick Bailey (Giants)
Tonight: Francisco Alvarez (Mets)

— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) October 14, 2024

As Ohtani ran for second, O'Hoppe threw him out to end the eighth inning of the June 21 matchup. The Angels would go on to win the game 3-2 at Dodger Stadium in ten innings.

Patrick Sandoval sustained a fore arm injury in the third, which forced the Halos to deploy the bullpen earlier than expected.

Although Ohtani hit a two-run home run against his former team to open the scoring in the fifth frame, the star-studded Dodgers lineup didn't do anything else.

The Angels secured a lead at the top of the tenth on an RBI single from Taylor Ward. Ward hit a line drive up the left side of the infielder off a slider from Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips

The triumph ended the Dodgers' 10-game win streak against the Halos that dated back to 2021. The win streak was a Freeway Series record. Additionally, it marked the first time Ohtani sported a Dodgers uniform instead of an Angels one.

However, it also marked an unfortunate streak for Ohtani. He was once again on the losing side of the Freeway Series.

As Ohtani continues competing in October, he has hit multiple home runs in the first postseason of his career. The Angels never reached the playoffs in Ohtani's six seasons with the team.

Dodgers utility man, Tommy Edman, heaped high praise for Ohtani during the National League Championship Series.

"It just comes off his bat different," Edman said. "It's like a golf ball. I keep saying I've never seen a ball hit that far, but at some point, like, you've seen a bunch of Shohei's homers.

"Every one is special, though. To see a ball go that far over the foul pole where you couldn't really tell if it was fair or foul, it's pretty impressive."

Although Ohtani is no longer representing the Halos, he is still a fun player to watch. An interesting trend that has transpired in the postseason is Ohtani's struggle to hit while no runners are on base, but Edman dismissed the notion that Ohtani hasn't been a star in October.

"He's been clutch when we needed him the most," Edman said. "I don't know, I think it's just one of those weird things. I don't think he's necessarily pressing because if he was pressing then he wouldn't be performing with runners in scoring position."