A unicorn is usually defined as “a mythical animal generally depicted with the body and head of a horse with long flowing mane and tail and a single often spiraled horn in the middle of the forehead.”
Or, they could’ve just gone with “A unicorn is Shohei Ohtani.”
In this space, we’re going to discuss (and try to analyze) what mind-boggling efforts and accomplishments the Los Angeles Angels’ two-way star puts together on a week-to-week basis — because it’s the right thing to do.
Yes, we must highlight the greatness that is unfolding before our eyes. The world doesn’t deserve Shohei Ohtani, but he somehow exists — and we should be talking about him as much as possible.
What did Shohei Ohtani do on Wednesday? Surpass his season-high pitch count in a historic performance
History tends to follow Shohei Ohtani around, and here we are:
Ohtani didn’t make much of an impact with his bat in this game — not many do against Kevin Gausman — but he managed to silence the vaunted Giants offense to the tune of six innings, six hits, one earned run, and nine strikeouts in six innings. Ohtani also ended up throwing 105 pitches on the day, nearly tying his career high.
What did Shohei Ohtani do on Friday? Hit a bomb from the leadoff position
It’s always fun when Ohtani bats leadoff for the Angels, and it becomes more fun when he does this:
Ohtani is now two homers behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for the league lead, and he’s tied with Nelson Cruz, Giancarlo Stanton, and Mike Zunino for the most 116+ mph home runs this season (H/T: Sarah Langs).
Ohtani went 2-for-4 in the Angels’ loss. His second hit was one in which he showcased his Mach 5 speed:
What did Shohei Ohtani do on Saturday? Jump into the top three in RBIs
Ohtani went 1-for-3 on Saturday with an RBI double. Nothing really that would break the internet, but upon further examination, Ohtani is officially in the top three in some major hitting categories: Home runs (24), RBIs (56), and slugging percentage (.643). He could join the top three in OPS soon, too.
Sheesh, this is becoming a super-tight race between Ohtani and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Don’t be surprised if Ohtani’s performance in the Home Run Derby (and Vladdy’s decision to not participate) sways some writers when it’s time to cast their vote.
More from Yahoo Sports: