Shohei Ohtani and Yusei Kikuchi both attended Hanamaki Higashi High School in Japan’s Iwate Prefecture (Ohtani was in his first year when Kikuchi was a senior). On June 8, 2019, they faced each other for the first time in MLB, with Ohtani in his second year with the LA Angels and Kikuchi in his first year with the Seattle Mariners.
Ohtani used his elite speed to tally a single in his first at-bat vs. Kikuchi, then collected a home run in the fourth inning after teammates Tommy La Stella and Mike Trout had opened the frame with back-to-back home runs. Shohei tacked on a double in the fifth inning off of reliever Taylor Scott to come just a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.
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JP2021.COM