Get prime for Sho Time!
They could be dancing in the streets of Takayama, Denver’s sister city in Japan.
Shohei Ohtani is coming to Colorado and could accomplish the Kessaku (masterpiece) by winning the Home Run Derby, then the All-Star Game as a pitcher and a hitter — and the MVP trophy.
Perhaps he should play in the celebrity softball contest, too, and lead a parade through LoDo.
The Midsummer Night’s Classic primarily is about Oh!Tani, who is the first player in Major League Baseball history to be chosen as a dual duty interstellar, international all-star. Thunder & Lightning in the Rockies.
Ohtani, who just turned 27 Monday, will be appearing in his fifth All-Star Game. The first four were in Nippon Professional Baseball (League) from 2013-1016.
And this will be only the fifth game at Coors Field for the Los Angeles Angels’ starting pitcher-designated hitter (mostly). As a rookie in 2018 Ohtani was 1 of 2, with a single, in two interleague games, He was hitless (0 for 4) in a 2020 game, with one run scored as a pinch-runner in the second game the next evening.
Ohtani never has pitched here or anywhere approaching a mile high in either country.
Perhaps Shohei will sledgehammer so many home runs in the Derby — 100 would be an all-time record — that he’ll want to return to Colorado as a free agent in 2024 for a 10-year, $500 million contract.
Dream on.
Although the final two of the eight contestants had not been finalized by Tuesday afternoon, Ohtani definitely will be the No. 1 seed in the event with an MLB-best 31 homers already.
His first-round adversary likely will be the Rockies’ own (for the time being) Trevor Story, who probably will be the No. 8 seed with (currently) 11.
Which will get the dominant support — Story or The Story?
According to the Derby rules, each will be given five minutes to hit as many homers as possible. A bonus of an additional minute will be provided any participant who jacks two shots of 475 feet or farther.
What are those chances at Cape Canaveral West? Story will have the shorter distance in left, but Ohtani will be aiming at that accessible bullpen in right-center. Both guys will hit copious Blake Street Bombs at the friendly Coors confines.
Baseball should turn off the humidor for one night.
Unfortunately, defending champion (from 2019; there was no Derby in ’20) Vladimir Guerrero Jr. decided not to contend, and neither did the other Jr. — Fernando Tatis Jr. — or Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez and Kyle Schwarber.
It must be hoped that a couple of All-Stars can be persuaded to join the party. How about Bo Bichette? His dad, Dante, produced 201 home runs with the Rockies in seven seasons and cracked the game-winning knock in the ballpark’s 1995 opener.
And what about Nolan Arenado, who blasted 235 homers in his eight seasons for the Rox. He has 16 with the Cardinals.
The 2021 version of the H.R.D. won’t have quite the star power as the 1998 LoDo Derby when Mark McGwire, Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Jim Thome, Rafael Palmeiro, Chipper Jones and the Rockies’ Vinny Castilla were among the challengers. Three were intricately connected to the Steroid Era, but not Griffey Jr., who originally didn’t want to take part, but changed his mind late and won with 19 home runs in three rounds.
Nobody hit a ball out of the park. Stationed in the parking lot behind the left-field wall, I was very lonely. Nothing found my glove.
Ohtani likely will explode one or more in the top deck in right, and 500-plus feet is a potential probability for someone. Story scorched the longest in the history of The Keg — a 505-footer Sept. 5, 2018. Todd Helton’s hamburger stand in left, the pond and Christmas trees in center and even Dick’s Party Deck in right will get action.
But a perfect scenario would be a tie after six minutes between Story and Ohtani, and one eventually reaching 50 to win the battle of the booming bats. Then, one of the duo would end up with triple digits in three rounds for a prominent place in baseball history.
In Tuesday’s All-Star Game Ohtani could pitch two scoreless innings, striking out six, and crush a grand slam. Manrui Honruida!
Oh what a night!
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