In advance of the much-anticipated pitching matchup between fellow countrymen, Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia announced Shohei Ohtani would not start on Sunday versus Masahiro Tanaka and the New York Yankees.
According to MLB.com, Ohtani was scratched from Sunday’s start in a move by the organization to manage the 23-year-old’s innings.
The two-way star will still be able to hit during the series, so baseball fans may get to witness the fellow Japanese baseball stars go head-to-head multiple times during the game.
Ohtani has pitched 40.1 innings this season across seven starts with a 3.35 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 52/14 K/BB ratio. At the plate, he owns a .308/.364/.582 slash line with six home runs, 19 RBIs and a stolen base.
The Angels have yet to announce when Ohtani’s next turn through the rotation will be.