(Photo : Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
A manager once said that walking off Shohei Ohtani is a good strategy to prevent him from tearing teams apart.
Seattle Mariners' Bryce Miller thinks differently, though.
The rookie stepped up when the stakes were high, even when he found himself in front of the two-way superstar and possibly the season's MVP.
Miller was instrumental in his team's victory over their AL West rivals. Even more impressive was that he had more faith in his pitching skills than Ohtani's prowess.
"I'd much rather go after him and not walk anybody," Miller said about his face-off with the Japanese.
"It felt good to strike him out."
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The two met in the first inning, wherein Miller allowed a single to Ohtani. He was not fazed as he one-upped the Angels star in the next two plate appearances.
The Sunday night victory ended Mariners' series with the Angels in a sweep. Monday is the team's rest day before welcoming the San Diego Padres the next day.
Miller just felt different lately
Miller did not play like a rookie against the Angels in their four-game series.
It was the first time he reached double-digit strikeouts since his May 2 MLB debut. He also set a career-high 22 swinging strikes during their visit to LA.
He knows that he has improved from his debut.
"In my debut, it was mostly fastballs," he said.
"Today, I was able to get ahead with more sliders and changeups. I felt good all the way around and not just with the fastball."
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