Baseball Report: Shohei Ohtani Keeps Boosting MVP Credentials

(CBS Los Angeles) — The MLB play is astir to participate September, and the assorted MVP and part races stay interesting. With a period of games left, Shohei Ohtani looks similar the American League MVP favorite, barring wounded oregon implicit collapse. He added different enactment to his resume and the grounds books this past weekend. The New York Yankees yet lost, ending their 13-game winning streak conscionable 4 games games down Tampa Bay Rays successful the American League East race. Across town, the New York Mets are moving conscionable arsenic rapidly successful the other direction. A fewer players someway thought it omniscient to explicit their displeasure with fans.

This week’s Baseball Report looks astatine Ohtani’s 40-20 milestone, the Yankees’ winning streak, and the Mets giving the “thumbs down” motion to their fans.

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Ohtani’s 40-20 Season

It isn’t adjacent September, and Shohei Ohtani is good successful power of the American League MVP race. That’s what happens erstwhile a two-way subordinate excels astatine the sheet and connected the mound. His latest accomplishment besides shows his prowess connected the basal path. Ohtani is present the lone subordinate successful Los Angeles Angels squad past to deed 40 location runs and bargain 20 bases successful a azygous season. He’s besides the 3rd successful American League past to execute the feat before September. Ken Griffey Jr. (1999) and Alex Rodriguez (2007) are the different two, and Rodriguez won the MVP that season.

By the clip Ohtani stole his 20th base, helium had already blasted 41 location runs, which puts him atop the majors. Last Saturday nighttime against the San Diego Padres, Ohtani was successful the midst of what would beryllium his 2nd 0-4 nighttime successful a row. In the bottommost of the 5th inning, helium drew a one-out locomotion disconnected of Austin Adams. He past got a bully leap connected an 0-1 fastball to bargain second. A treble 2 batters aboriginal would bring him home.

His 20 stolen bases enactment him the apical 10 successful the class that Miami Marlins’ Starling Marte leads with 42. Ohtani is besides slashing .264/.363/.623. Of course, what separates him from each the different prime hitters successful the majors is his pitching success. Ohtani is besides 8-1 with a 3.00 ERA and 127 strikeouts successful his 105 innings pitched.

His stolen basal and the resulting tally helped propulsion the Angels to conscionable their 2nd triumph successful 8 game. But they way the Boston Red Sox by 10.5 games for the past wild-card spot.

While the Angels person small accidental successful the playoff race, it seems lone an wounded could wounded Ohtani’s chances successful the MVP race. So determination was immoderate interest astir the enactment Friday nighttime erstwhile a 93 mph fastball deed him connected his throwing hand. An x-ray didn’t uncover immoderate damage, and helium played the remainder of the game. Ohtani should beryllium acceptable to transportation again Tuesday nighttime against the New York Yankees.

Yankees Winning Streak Ends

The Yankees volition beryllium looking to commencement different winning streak erstwhile they sojourn the Angels this week. That’s aft the Oakland Athletics ended their past 1 implicit the weekend. The A’s bushed the Yankees 3-2 Saturday to halt their 13-game winning streak, the team’s longest successful 60 years. Slugger Aaron Judge’s two-run location tally successful the ninth inning drove successful Anthony Rizzo aft his bloop single. But it was each the squad could negociate successful a losing effort.

When the Yankees past won that galore games successful a row, Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle were lighting up pitchers. It was lone the team’s sixth longest successful their history. The Yankees won 19 consecutive successful 1947 and came adjacent with 18 successful 1953.

When this latest streak started, the Yankees were 63-52 and trailed the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays by 7 games and the Red Sox by five. It included three-game sweeps of the Red Sox and Minnesota Twins. When the streak ended, the Yankees were 76-52 and trailed lone the Rays by 4 games. They person the wrong way connected a Wild Card spot, though they whitethorn extremity up playing the Red Sox.

Thumbs Down To Mets And Their Fans

The Mets led the National League East for astir fractional the season. But they person not been precise bully of late, losing 19 of their 27 games successful August truthful acold arsenic good arsenic their four-game pb successful the division. They present way the Atlanta Braves by 7.5 games and the Philadelphia Phillies by 4.5 games. What erstwhile were promising playoff hopes are rapidly slipping away.

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The fans astatine Citi Field, the Mets’ home, person fto their displeasure beryllium known. That’s what fans do. They cheer erstwhile their squad does good and boo erstwhile they don’t. Mets players bash not similar getting booed, and 3 of them decided to fundamentally boo their fans backmost erstwhile the squad does well.

After hitting a 444-foot homer in Sunday’s 9-4 triumph implicit the Washington Nationals, caller acquisition Javier Baez was seen giving a “thumbs down” gesture, which helium explained afterwards was a connection to the fans.

“It feels atrocious erstwhile I onslaught retired and I get booed. It doesn’t truly get to me, but I privation to fto them cognize that erstwhile we person success, we’re going to bash the aforesaid thing, to fto [fans] cognize however it feels,” Baez told reporters. “…They got to beryllium better. I play for the fans and emotion the fans. If they’re going to bash that, they’re going to enactment much unit connected the team.”

Kevin Pillar and Francisco Lindor besides gave the thumbs down gesture.

The Mets enactment was not pleased. A connection from squad president Sandy Alderson work arsenic follows:

“In a post-game property league today, Javy Baez stated that his “thumbs down” motion during the crippled was a connection to fans who precocious person booed him and different players for mediocre performance. These comments, and immoderate gestures by him oregon different players with a akin intent, are wholly unacceptable and volition not beryllium tolerated.

Mets fans are understandably frustrated implicit the team’s caller performance. The players and the enactment are arsenic frustrated, but fans astatine Citi Field person each close to explicit their ain disappointment. Booing is each fan’s right.

The Mets volition not tolerate immoderate subordinate motion that is unprofessional successful its meaning oregon is directed successful a antagonistic mode toward our fans. I volition beryllium gathering with our players and unit to convey this connection directly.

Mets fans are loyal, passionate, knowledgeable and much than consenting to explicit themselves. We emotion them for each 1 of these qualities.”

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Mets fans were besides understandably upset and turned to social media to aerial their feelings. Whether this small spat leads to a amended showing connected the tract remains to beryllium seen. The Mets person 30 games — 15 astatine location — to marque up mislaid ground.