Shohei Ohtani, 29, who announced his intention to remain with the Los Angeles Angels, put on a one-man show. He started the first game of a doubleheader and earned his first big league complete game shutout, then hit a two-run homer in the second game of the doubleheader as a pinch hitter.
Ohtani started game one of the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A., on Aug. 28 and pitched nine innings of one-hit ball, striking out eight and walking none.
Ohtani’s pitching was flawless. She shut down the Detroit bats with a perfect fourth inning. A hit by leadoff hitter Kerry Carpenter in the fifth inning broke his perfect streak, but he didn’t falter and threw 111 pitches through the ninth inning to complete the shutout. It was a shame he couldn’t get the no-hitter.
While he had several complete games and no-hitters during his time in Nippon Professional Baseball, this was his first big league complete game in 83 games since debuting in the 2018 season.
Ohtani picked up his ninth win of the season (5-0) as the Angels took game one of the doubleheader 6-0. Ohtani, who had been rocked by five earned runs in his last three starts, rebounded perfectly on the day to lower his ERA from 3.71 to 3.43. At the plate, he struck out five batters and walked two.
After a stellar outing on the mound in game one, Ohtani swung the bat in game two of the doubleheader as the only batter.
Oni, who started in the No. 2 spot in the lineup, batted second with two outs in the top of the second inning with his team leading 3-0, and after a back-and-forth battle with opposing starter Matt Manning, crushed a seven-pitch four-seam fastball over the left field fence for a two-run home run that traveled 123 meters. It was Ohtani’s 37th home run of the season.
Ohtani’s bat didn’t rest. In his third at-bat, he also arched it.
Two batters later in the fourth inning, with his team leading 6-2, he faced Manning again, this time taking a five-pitch four-seam fastball over the center field fence. The home run, his 38th of the season, traveled a whopping 138 meters.
Ohtani finished 2-for-3 with two home runs, three RBIs, one triple and two runs scored. Behind Ohtani’s performance, the Angels won 11-4 to sweep both games of the doubleheader.
With their fourth straight win, the Angels improved to 54-49 and remained in third place in the American League East. 스포츠토토 They closed the gap on the second-place Houston Astros to four games.