Ohtani’s BART issue pushing back A’s start clarified originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Shohei Ohtani‘s scheduled start against the Athletics on Thursday was pushed back by a day due to transportation issues trying to get across the Bay from San Francisco. Former A’s catcher and current Los Angeles Angel Kurt Suzuki clarified what happened with Ohtani’s journey to Oakland, and any person who has lived in the Bay Area and utilized BART can relate.
Suzuki apparently was traveling with Ohtani from the Angels’ hotel in San Francisco, and says the two got on the wrong train and missed the transfer. The Angels initially said a train issue was behind Ohtani’s late arrival, but BART announced that there were no delays at that time on trains headed to the Coliseum.
Anyone who has hopped on BART in San Francisco and tried to head to the Coliseum knows that the wrong line can set back any trip by a good chunk of time.
Ohtani ended up batting second for the Angels on Thursday and serving as the designated hitter, before taking the mound Friday night.
The two-way star went six innings, striking out five but allowing three earned runs and taking the loss as the A’s won 3-1.
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Ohtani did spark a very mild dust-up between the teams after a fastball came close to Mark Canha‘s face.
Suzuki hasn’t played for the A’s since 2013, but as someone who spent a number of years playing for the organization and living in the Bay Area, you would have imagined he could have guided Ohtani a bit better.
But many (including yours truly) can relate to the struggle of jumping on the wrong train while riding on BART.