Shohei Ohtani’s historic performance on the mound and at the plate led the Los Angeles Angels to an 11-3 victory over the Houston Astros on Sunday, as Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball history to start a game on the mound and hit two home runs in the same game since Babe Ruth did it in 1921..
Ohtani took the mound against the Astros today as the Angels’ starting pitcher and put in a dominant performance. In 7.0 innings of work, Ohtani allowed just three hits and one unearned run. He also struck out 10 Astros batters to reach double-digit strikeouts for the sixth time in his career..
At the plate, Ohtani delivered one of the most impressive offensive games of his career. He went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs, and now has 23 homers on the season. Ohtani’s first home run came in the third inning, when he launched a 419-foot solo shot off of Astros starter Luis Garcia. The historic homer was the 100th of Ohtani’s MLB career, making him the first Japanese-born player to reach the mark..
Ohtani’s second home run came in the fifth inning, when he hit a 394-foot two-run homer off of Astros reliever Bryan Abreu. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Ohtani is the first MLB player since Fernando Tatis Jr. in 2021 to record a start of at least 7.0 innings, 10 strikeouts and two home runs in the same game..
In addition to Ohtani’s historic night, the Angels also benefited from strong performances from Taylor Ward and Mike Trout. Ward went 2-for-4 with a home run, double and three RBIs, while Trout went 2-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI..
The Angels will look to continue their winning ways on Monday when they take on the Astros in the second game of their three-game series. Patrick Sandoval is scheduled to start for the Angels, while the Astros will send out Jake Odorizzi..
With today’s win, the Angels improve to 57-58 on the season, while the Astros fall to 65-50. .
