New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo remains optimistic free agent Shohei Ohtani, widely regarded as the world’s best baseball player, could be part of his team set to play in London next summer.

Generational Japanese two-way talent Ohtani was two weeks ago named American League MVP for the second time in three years and draws frequent comparisons to Babe Ruth, still probably the most recognisable baseball name in Britain and beyond despite the former Boston Red Sox and New York Yankee slugger having been dead for 75 years.

Ohtani, reportedly within days of deciding on his next destination and poised to fetch an MLB-record free-agent fee, is historically peerless in his dual-role as a starting pitcher and batter, so much so that a new MLB rule introduced in 2022 – effectively designed to address his singular abilities – is commonly referred to as ‘the Ohtani rule’.

Nimmo, whose Mets are set to play the Philadelphia Phillies at the London Stadium next June, said: “(Ohtani) really is everything that everyone says he is. He’s unbelievable. He hits the ball harder than everyone, he throws the ball harder than everyone, he runs faster than everyone.

“He really is the special talent that everyone has hyped him up to be. He’s one of those special, once-in-a-generation players.

“I know that our front office and our owner and our president were very excited about the prospect of getting him. I know we’re going to be in on (him), I just don’t know where it is going to lead to.”

In baseball, unlike cricket, players are pitchers or combine a fielding position and batting, save for the “designated hitter” (DH), a batting-only position which typically replaces pitchers in the order. But under ‘the Ohtani rule’, he can still serve as a DH even after being pulled as a pitcher.

The DH has featured since 1973 in the American League and National League in 2022, but, even before its universal adoption, no pitchers came anywhere close to Ohtani’s prowess at the plate. He has won MLB’s best DH award for three consecutive seasons.

In 2023, he hit the fourth most home runs in MLB, all while striking out 167 batters and finishing with a 3.14 earned run average.

While the Mets have been linked to Ohtani, who is rumoured to be considering deals worth between USD 500m-600m (£396,205,000-£475,446,000), the latest reports suggest they may be out of the picture, with the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays, Atlanta Braves and former club the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim among those considered front-runners for his services.

Whoever ultimately signs Ohtani will likely have to wait a full season until he is fit enough to pitch following surgery to his elbow in September, though he should be available to hit come opening day 2024.

Next summer’s London Series marks the third time MLB has made the trip to Britain, in an ongoing attempt to grow the global reach of a game that has variously been accused of being too American to find a footing in the UK, too similar to cricket to take off, and conversely too confusing for the uninitiated to understand.

Nimmo, however, will happily evangelise for the game’s global potential, and agrees that fact that it is a Japanese talent quickly becoming MLB’s most recognisable face – even cracking highlight reels in the United Kingdom – is important as the sport tries to conquer new territory.

He added: “One of the areas where we’ve struggled in MLB is making the players world recognised, and now Shohei has that star quality that can bridge that gap. He’s an integral piece to us growing the game worldwide.

“We need to market him. We need to get him out there. I think a great opening and a great door is to be like, check out this guy.

“He’s not from the States, he’s larger than life, he’s doing something that hasn’t been done before, since one of the great baseball legends like Babe Ruth. Those guys are mythical.”

:: New York Mets will play Philadelphia Phillies in the MLB World Tour: London Series 2024 on June 8–9 at London Stadium

Brandon Nimmo atoned for an earlier baserunning mistake with a game-ending RBI double in the 10th inning to lift the New York Mets to a 4-3 win over the visiting New York Yankees on Wednesday.

After the Yankees failed to score in the top of the 10th, Albert Abreu struck out Mark Vientos to keep automatic runner Eduardo Escobar at second, but Nimmo greeted Nick Ramirez with a drive off the wall in right-centre to score the winning run. 

The Yankees broke a 1-1 tie with two runs in the top of the seventh inning, highlighted by Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s steal of home – the first steal of home by a Yankee since Didi Gregorius on Aug. 27, 2016.

The Mets, however, scored two in the bottom half of the inning to tie things back up at 3-3, though ran themselves out of the inning when Nimmo was caught halfway between second and third base on Starling Marte’s game-tying single and thrown out for the third out, ending a potential bases-loaded threat.

The series finale featured a compelling pitching matchup between Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander and both stars permitted just one run but were done after six innings.

Cole struck out eight and allowed four hits, while Verlander scattered three hits and had six punchouts. Neither walked a batter.

The city rivals split the two-game Subway Series after the Yankees’ 7-6 win on Tuesday. The victory was just the second in 11 games for the Mets, who had dropped four in a row at home.

Berrios stymies Orioles

Jose Berrios took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in the Toronto Blue Jays’ 3-1 win at Baltimore, ending the Orioles’ five-game winning streak.

Berríos retired the first 13 batters he faced and didn’t allow a hit until Adley Rutschman opened the seventh with a soft single to centre.

Berríos ended up pitching 7 2/3 scoreless innings – his longest outing since going eight innings at Detroit on June 10, 2022 – allowing three hits and a walk while striking out five. The right-hander improved to 4-0 with a 1.11 ERA in his last five starts and 10-0 in his career against the Orioles.

Baltimore, which had won the season’s first four matchups with Toronto, came in having scored 11 runs in each of its last two games but didn’t get on the scoreboard until Aaron Hicks’ run-scoring single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

Rays end Athletics’ 7-game winning streak

Manuel Margot and Yandy Diaz had back-to-back RBI doubles in the fifth inning and Tampa Bay’s bullpen worked 3 2/3 scoreless innings as the Rays snapped the Oakland Athletics’ seven-game winning streak with a 6-3 victory.

Tampa Bay took the lead for good with three runs in the fifth against Luis Medina. Taylor Walls singled, stole second, moved to third on an error and scored on Margot’s double. Diaz followed with another double to make it 3-3 and Josh Lowe singled home Diaz one out later.

Major league-leading Tampa Bay remained the only team in the majors without a three-game losing streak.