Angels’ Logan O’Hoppe reflects on brief, ‘eye-opening’ stint as Shohei Ohtani’s personal catcher

Logan O’Hoppe was telling someone the other day about what it’s like to catch Shohei Ohtani when he caught himself.

“At first,” said the Angels rookie backstop and ex-Phillies prospect, “it was him calling all the pitches, and now — well, not now — I should say, it was him calling the first time through [a lineup], and then I would take it.”

Like every baseball fan, O’Hoppe is bummed about the damaged elbow ligament that will prevent Ohtani from pitching for the rest of the season — and perhaps even lead to Tommy John surgery and keep him off a mound until 2025.

But as Ohtani’s emerging personal catcher, the depression is even more acute.

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O’Hoppe, traded to the Angels at last year’s deadline for Brandon Marsh, didn’t work with Ohtani after getting called up at the tail end of last season. Because catching the two-way sensation isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s complicated. Ohtani throws variations of seven — count ‘em, seven! — pitches that dip and dart and spin.

It isn’t easy to communicate with Ohtani between innings, either, especially if he’s due to bat. If necessary, Ohtani often relays a message to his catcher through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, according to O’Hoppe.

So, the Angels purposely paired O’Hoppe with Ohtani for his first spring-training bullpen session and live batting practice. He caught Ohtani’s first spring-training start, too.

And they quickly developed a rapport.

“It’s very interesting, and it’s really cool to see,” O’Hoppe said. “It’s so unique, his routine, and it’s unique to what he’s able to do. I don’t think anyone else would do that routine just because they want to. It’s specific to him. I’m just happy I get a front-row seat.”

Part of Ohtani’s routine: calling his own pitches.

The Angels had catchers relay signs to Ohtani through last season. But with the advent of PitchCom, and especially the pitch clock, he told the team it would be easier for him to do it himself.

When Ohtani pitches, he wears a PitchCom device under his jersey and near his left shoulder, according to O’Hoppe. Ohtani memorized the keypad in order to blindly press a button to identify which pitch — four-seam fastball, sweeper, cutter, splitter, sinker, curveball, or slider — he intends to throw. O’Hoppe receives the signal through an earpiece.

“He has to memorize not only the pitcher he’s got to face [as the Angels’ designated hitter], but nine other dudes, too,” O’Hoppe said. “It’s pretty nuts.”

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It also works. O’Hoppe caught Ohtani’s first four starts, in which he allowed two runs in 21 innings, before injuring his shoulder and missing three months. They were back together on Aug. 23, when Ohtani left in the second inning with elbow pain.

By then, Ohtani trusted O’Hoppe enough to call pitches beginning with the second time through a batting order.

When they will work together again as batterymates is anybody’s guess. In addition to addressing his elbow injury, Ohtani will be a free agent at season’s end. It’s unlikely he will re-sign with the Angels, who are headed for their sixth consecutive losing season and haven’t made the playoffs since 2014.

“When you see what he’s doing — what he’s done — you’re obviously impressed by it,” O’Hoppe said. “But when I really step back and look, it’s pretty eye-opening. I don’t take a second for granted with it.”

Beginning Friday, as the calendar flips to September, active rosters will expand from 26 players to 28, with a maximum of 14 pitchers. The Phillies are hoping to add reserve outfielder Cristian Pache, who resumed his rehab assignment at triple-A Lehigh Valley after missing a week with a knee soreness.

Ranger Suárez will eventually occupy the other spot. The lefty is tentatively slated to return to the rotation Sunday in Milwaukee after missing two weeks with a strained right hamstring.

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Before the game, the Angels placed starter Lucas Giolito, relievers Matt Moore, and Reynaldo López, and outfielders Hunter Renfroe and Randal Grichuk on waivers, according to ESPN. Any can be claimed as soon as Thursday, with acquiring teams agreeing only to take on the player’s remaining salary. ... Utility infielder Rodolfo Castro made his first start since Aug. 12 in place of resting second baseman Bryson Stott. Castro had gotten a total of two at-bats in 16 days. ... The Phillies had a pregame moment of silence for former manager Pat Corrales, who died Monday at age 82. ... Cristopher Sánchez (2-3, 3.33 ERA) is scheduled to start the series finale Wednesday against Angels lefty Reid Detmers (3-10, 5.03).