OAKLAND, Calif. — Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani was supposed to be the team’s starting pitcher Thursday against the Oakland A’s. Then traffic got in the way.
A car accident on the Bay Bridge forced Ohtani and several other Angels players to ride the BART subway system from their San Francisco hotel to the RingCentral Coliseum in Oakland. Ohtani’s arrival was delayed too much for him to go through his normal pre-start routine, so he will serve as the designated hitter Thursday and take the mound on Friday instead.
Patrick Sandoval will pitch Thursday’s game for the Angels.
Kurt Suzuki and Phil Gosselin were also scratched from the Angels’ original starting lineup — in which Ohtani was supposed to only pitch and not hit because of the team’s short bench — after taking the subway system with Ohtani.
