Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Andrew Joseph

The Blue Jays decided to intentionally walk Shohei Ohtani four times after Matt Chapman’s outburst

Matt Chapman Shohei Ohtani the Blue Jays Blue Jays Angels Barry Bonds

Shohei Ohtani’s pursuit of 62 home runs this season has been especially remarkable when you consider that he’s doing so with very little protection in the lineup. Mike Trout has been hurt, and Mickey Moniak is the only other Angels hitter batting above .300.

Teams generally haven’t pitched around Ohtani, but Blue Jays third baseman Matt Chapman was tired of seeing his team take that chance.

After Ohtani hit a home run in his first at-bat of Friday’s game in Toronto, broadcast cameras picked up footage of Chapman confronting manager John Schneider in the dugout. His message was basically: Why are we pitching to him? He’s the only one in that lineup who can hit.

Chapman was asked about that confrontation after the game, and he said that it came from a good place.

And since that scene in the dugout, the Blue Jays have generally heeded the message. In Saturday’s game, Ohtani was hit by a pitch in his first at-bat. After hitting a double in his second at-bat, Ohtani was intentionally walked in the next two plate appearances.

In Sunday’s game, they Blue Jays pitched to Ohtani in his first two at-bats. But after a single in the third inning, Ohtani was intentionally walked in his next plate appearance.

They walked him a fourth time in the ninth inning after a passed ball.

Now, it makes sense for the Blue Jays to challenge another Angels hitter to beat them. But at the same time, it’s kind of lame to avoid pitching to Ohtani. He had only been intentionally walked eight times heading into the series. So, hopefully the Blue Jays didn’t start a trend of Ohtani getting the Barry Bonds treatment from pitchers.

Fans certainly blamed Chapman for all the intentional walks, though.

This was how Twitter reacted

It seemed to work. The Blue Jays took the first two games of the series.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Nicole Kidman Breaks Silence On Viral Tom Cruise Divorce Celebration Meme: “I Know That Image!”
Nicole Kidman debunked the myth surrounding her famous meme image where she’s supposedly celebrating her divorce from Tom Cruise. The post Nicole Kidman Breaks Silence On Viral Tom Cruise Divorce Celebration Meme: “I Know That Image!” first appeared on Bored Panda.
Bored Panda
Bored Panda
"SNL" Domingo sketch goes off-screen
Hernández made an in-character appearance at Carpenter's LA concert, a gift for obsessively online people
Salon
Salon
Cher Considered Suicide While Trapped in "Loveless Marriage" With Sonny Bono
"I saw how easy it would be to step over the edge."
Marie Claire
Marie Claire
Cher reveals why her marriage to Gregg Allman lasted only nine days
Cher and the late singer tied the knot in 1975
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Did Matty Healy Just Inadvertently Confirm Taylor Swift's "Guilty as Sin" Is About Him?
Very suspicious.
Marie Claire
Marie Claire
Australian supermarket kombucha taste test: ‘How can a beverage be so wet and so dry at the same time?’
From the ‘flat and mild’ to one with ‘cheap’ Passiona candle aroma, in their seven-strong kombucha taste test Jess Ho follows their nose, tastebuds – and gut
The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play