ANAHEIM - The Yankees finally got a first-hand look at who they missed out on Friday night, with two-way star Shohei Ohtani in the lineup and hitting fifth for the Angels, serving as the DH.
Unfortunately - well, maybe fortunately - the Bombers will not face Ohtani on the mound, as the 23-year-old Japanese righty won't pitch until Tuesday against the Orioles.
The Bombers were very interested in Ohtani - and were believed to be a favorite for his services - but he wasn't interested in them, eliminating New York quickly from his free-agent process this offseason before choosing to play in Anaheim.
It was said that Ohtani preferred to play on the West Coast in a smaller market that didn't already have a Japanese player. Ohtani was extremely attractive to teams - especially the $197 million luxury-tax threshold conscious Yankees - because he only cost a small signing bonus and would be under team control for six years at a highly discounted rate. Plus, he could fill two attractive positions with one roster spot.
The Bombers pivoted after not getting Ohtani and quickly acquired reigning NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton in a blockbuster trade. Ohtani has thrown a 101-mph fastball and hit three homers in the early-going.
"I was interested in the rumblings, the myth, the legend of it all," Aaron Boone said. "Obviously we were rumored in there to be one of the candidates. So even when I got hired I followed it a lot more closely. But look he's made a big splash.
The Bombers were very interested in Shohei Ohtani - and were believed to be a favorite for his services - but he wasn't interested in them.
(Tony Gutierrez/AP)"The stuff both as a hitter and as a pitcher he jumps off the screen. The power is very real. He's very athletic, he can really run. And as a pitcher he's had a couple outings it's like man that's an electric fastball with a wipeout split and I know he's caught Southern California here by storm. I think it's really good for the game and hopefully he can get going again once we leave."
Boone recalled the Ohtani situation.
"It was actually a couple days after I got hired I think he eliminated us and I was like is it something I did?" Boone joked. "But I don't read into that stuff at all. There's so many individual reasons why you pick a certain place to play and he had every right to chose that. He has his reasons and his process and I respect the heck outta that."
It could be an interesting time for Japan on Saturday, with Ohtani perhaps facing fellow countryman Masahiro Tanaka.
Ohtani is 0-for-11 lifetime against Tanaka with six strikeouts, a walk and a hit-by-pitch — with all of their matchups coming in 2013 in Japan. Tanaka went 24-0 that year before signing with the Bombers. Asked if he could ever fathom playing two ways, Tanaka responded: “Me? Never.”
Tommy Kahnle.
(Howard Simmons/New York Daily News)INJURY UPDATES
Tommy Kahnle, on the disabled list with right shoulder tendinitis, is slated to play catch in the next two days. Kahnle had been shut down from throwing for 10 days. He was expected to potentially miss several weeks.
"I think he's got one or two more days of not throwing and then we'll get back at it and hopefully things will progress properly and then get off a mound not too far after that. He's close to playing catch," Aaron Boone said.
Brandon Drury (migraines, blurred vision) was slated to play in another minor-league rehab game for Triple-A Scranton on Friday and then be evaluated on a day-to-day basis. Boone left open the possibility he could return on the team's roadtrip through Anaheim and Houston.
Clint Frazier (concussion) went 1-for-3 with a double, two walks and two runs in his first rehab game on Thursday for Class A Tampa. Frazier was back in the lineup as the DH on Thursday.
Brett Gardner got Friday's game off, but it was just a rest day. Giancarlo Stanton started in left.