Cincinnati’s Lorenzen throws no-hitter against Nationals

Upon winning the 2021 American League MVP award, Shohei Ohtani praised Michael Lorenzen and expressed a wish for more baseball players like him. Just like Ohtani, a representative player in the American League, Lorenzen was also a two-way player, both a pitcher and batter. Lorenzen was then playing for the Cincinnati Reds in the National League.

However, in 2022, Lorenzen joined Ohtani as a teammate on the Angels, shifting his focus solely to pitching and leaving batting behind. The 2023 season began with Lorenzen in Detroit, but he was later traded to Philadelphia on August 1, where he continued contributing as a pitcher.

Lorenzen’s notable encounter with Philadelphia occurred during his Cincinnati days. He entered the game as a relief pitcher in the seventh inning, pitching two innings, delivering a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning, and even played as a center fielder in the ninth inning.

Cincinnati secured an 8-5 victory over Philadelphia, and Lorenzen became the first player in 98 years, after Babe Ruth on June 14, 1921, to achieve a trifecta: winning pitcher, home run hitter, and outfielder — a record Ohtani himself has yet to achieve.


Bo-Mi Im bom@donga.com