Ohtani's ASG cleats, more headed to HOF
DENVER -- Two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani hasn¡¯t stopped impressing people all season, and that includes those at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
After starting Tuesday's 2021 All-Star Game on the mound and as the designated hitter in the American League's 5-2 win, Ohtani¡¯s cleats, hand guards and foot guards from the Midsummer Classic are heading to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.
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After a hot start to the season in which he hit .279 with an MLB-leading 33 home runs and pitched to a 4-1 record with a 3.49 ERA, Ohtani became the first player in All-Star Game history to be selected as both a pitcher and a hitter. In the game itself, Ohtani pitched a perfect first inning, earned the win and went 0-for-2 at the plate.
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Ohtani already has other items in Cooperstown from this season: a cap and helmet from the first time he hit and pitched in the same game on April 4, and a bat from his first home run, said Jon Shestakofsky, the Hall of Fame's vice president of communication.
Ohtani also has an elbow guard and a shin guard from 2018, his first MLB season, in Cooperstown. Shestakofsky said the Hall often requests Ohtani's objects because they are important for baseball history and the Hall is honored to have received them.
Other items from All-Star Weekend headed off to Cooperstown include All-Star MVP Vladimir Guerrero Jr.¡¯s helmet and batting gloves, Pete Alonso¡¯s bat from the Home Run Derby, coach Rachel Balkovec¡¯s hat from the Futures Game and Futures Game MVP Brennen Davis¡¯ bat.