Angels News: Shohei Ohtani Talks About Adjusting to Pitch Clock

Angels star Shohei Ohtani said the pitch clock will take some getting used to, but he's confident he'll be fine and knows the challenge applies to everyone.

Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani made his first start of the spring on the mound on Tuesday, throwing 2.1 scoreless innings with no hits, two walks, and two strikeouts. It was Ohtani's first experience with the pitch clock as a pitcher, and after the game he told the media it felt a little weird.

"So far, so good, but I feel like I’m being a little bit rushed," Ohtani said. "As long as I keep getting games under my belt, I should be good."

This will be a common feeling for most pitchers the first time or two on the mound this spring, especially pitchers who have never pitched with a clock before. About half the league has played with a pitch clock in the minor leagues, but Shohei never pitched in the minors, so it's new to him.

Still, Ohtani's view of the clock is very practical.

"I couldn’t really tell if I was intimidating the batters or not, so that’s not really an issue," Ohtani said. "As far as the pitch clock, it’s the same for everyone. Everyone needs to get adjusted."

It's really a good thing the league implemented this change in spring training, because it does take some getting used to. Hopefully, the five weeks of spring games will be enough that by the time the games start counting, pitchers and hitters will all be accustomed to the new pace and it will mostly be a non-issue.

The most important thing was that Ohtani was healthy and effective. That's what spring training is really for.