San Francisco Giants Pitcher Has Absolutely Owned Shohei Ohtani

This San Francisco Giants pitcher has owned Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani.

Jul 22, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) reacts after fouling off a pitch in the third inning against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers have absolutely no love for each other. Each and every time they play, there is a little extra riding on the National League West rivalry.

Shohei Ohtani joining the Dodgers was the biggest move of the offseason. While Los Angeles is the better team this season, the Giants have a secret weapon to use against Ohtani specifically.

Erik Miller, a 26-year-old left-handed relief pitcher, has found major success in his face-offs against Ohtani.

As shared by The Mercury News, Miller is one of only three pitchers to face Ohtani at least four times and strike him out in every occurence. There are 278 pitchers who have faced Ohtani at least four times.

San Francisco manager Bob Melvin spoke out about Miller's success against the superstar.

“That’s not easy. He just doesn’t see him well at this point, knock wood. That’s why he’s in the game there.”

Miller also spoke out about striking out Ohtani.

“Anytime you strike him out, it’s cool. You always want strikeouts, but obviously there are certain guys that it feels a little better with.”

He continued on, talking more about facing Ohtani.

“I mean, I only have three pitches, so he’s seen all the tricks I’ve got at this point. I think it’s now just a sequencing thing, like can you do something he hasn’t see before? At some point if you face a guy long enough, it’s just like mano a mano, can I beat you? Here’s my best stuff.”

Needless to say, having a secret weapon against one of the best hitters in baseball is a huge advantage for the Giants. Hopefully, Miller will continue finding the same success he has had.

On the season as a whole, Miller has played in 46 games, with nine of them being starts. He has compiled a 3-3 record to go along with a 3.43 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP, a 2.2 K/BB ratio, 11 holds, and 44.2 innings pitched.

Those are impressive all-around numbers. Miller has carved out a very important role in the San Francisco bullpen.

Being able to join such an elite club is an awesome feat for the young pitcher. Miller and Ohtani will continue being an intriguing matchup whenever they face off against each other.