LOS ANGELES -- For 25 of the players on the A's roster, Thursday’s 19-2 loss to the Dodgers is one to immediately try to forget.
Not for Jhonny Pereda.
The backup catcher came in to pitch the eighth inning for the A’s and give the taxed bullpen a breather, with Shohei Ohtani due up fourth. The reigning National League MVP had already hit two home runs -- on his own bobblehead night -- to tie Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwarber atop the MLB leaderboard with 15.
So how did Pereda pitch Ohtani? He started him off with four straight offspeed pitches, none of which topped 69 mph. Ohtani took a first-pitch strike, a ball outside and fouled off the next two to fall behind 1-2.
Then came the heater.
Pereda, who was making his third pitching appearance this season and the fourth of his career, unleashed an 89.4 mph four-seamer above the zone -- which he said he called himself -- and Ohtani foul-tipped it into Shea Langeliers' mitt.
Pereda had struck out Shohei Ohtani.
"I wasn’t even trying to punch him out, I just wanted to face him,” Pereda said. “That’s the only batter I want to face.”
The ball quickly made its way to the dugout for safe keeping. When approached by reporters after the game, Pereda seemed surprised to be receiving any attention at all.
While he admitted it felt “very special” to best such a talented player, Pereda was more focused on his team’s tough night.
Nonetheless, he has a new keepsake for the trophy case.
"It was funny, because he’s so hard to strike out and I'm a position player striking [him] out, so that was fun,” Pereda said.
More than anything, Pereda said he was just hoping Ohtani wouldn’t make contact. After each pitch, he’d duck back in case the slugger sent a comebacker his way.
"I was scared if he hit the ball to the middle, it was going to kill me,” Pereda said.
"It’s something he’ll remember the rest of his career, for sure,” manager Mark Kotsay said.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is used to his superstar DH defying logic on a near nightly basis.
"Yeah, what else can you say?” Roberts said. “I mean, he struck out against a position player, how about that.”
And Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said if it were him on the mound, he would “100%” keep the ball, too.
“I can’t believe it took him that long to throw it out [to the dugout],” Muncy said.