GDB 27.0: Shohei Ohtani finally lands in Toronto
By Zach Laing
21 hours agoShohei Ohtani’s flight to Toronto was long, but 140 days after he “took off” from Orange County, he’s arrived.
The only problem? He’s wearing a different shade of blue than the Jays’ colour.
It’s been an arduous road for Blue Jays fans since they were in the mix for the superstar this past offseason, and it’s hard to imagine this weekend will bring any closure. Ohtani’s been off to an excellent start to the season, slashing .358/.419/.670 for a 1.089 OPS, while his 14 doubles lead the major leagues. All the while, his AB per HR rate is down at 18.2 from his career average of 14.6.
The Jays will face off against a potent L.A. Dodgers offence, with depth throughout their lineup and a strong pitching staff to back it. While Gavin Stone takes the mound for the Dodgers tonight with Chris Bassitt getting the bump for the Jays, it will be the red-hot Tyler Glasnow on Saturday — someone the Jays were undoubtedly happy was leaving the AL East — squaring off against Yusei Kikuchi. Sunday’s game is for Kevin Gausman, while it’s unknown who L.A. will have on the mound.
First pitch:
7:07 p.m. EST. TV & Radio: Sportsnet.
Starting pitchers:
| Name | Team | GS
| W
| L
| IP
| ERA
| xERA
| ERA-
| FIP
| WHIP
| K/9
| BB/9
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Bassitt | TOR | 5 | 2 | 3 | 27.2 | 3.90 | 5.57 | 103 | 4.77 | 1.59 | 8.46 | 4.55 |
| Gavin Stone | LAD | 4 | 1 | 1 | 18.0 | 6.00 | 3.94 | 151 | 3.03 | 1.78 | 8.00 | 5.00 |
Teams:
Lineups:
BLUE JAYS:
- G Springer (R) RF
- V Guerrero Jr. (R) 1B
- B Bichette (R) SS
- J Turner (R) DH
- D Varsho (L) CF
- D Jansen (R) C
- A Barger (L) LF
- I Kiner-Falefa (R) 3B
- C Biggio (L) 2B
DODGERS:
- M Betts (R) SS
- S Ohtani (L) DH
- F Freeman (L) 1B
- W Smith (R) C
- M Muncy (L) 3B
- T Hernández (R) LF
- J Outman (L) CF
- A Pages (R) RF
- G Lux (L) 2B
Need to bide the time until first pitch?
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Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.
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