Shohei Ohtani scored the tying run on Monday that put the Los Angeles Angels on track for a 9-6 comeback victory over the Kansas City Royals.
Ohtani entered the game in the sixth inning as a pinch-hitter and singled in his only at-bat off a fastball from Royals' righty Kevin McCarthy. After McCarthy yielded a walk to the next hitter, Ohtani bolted home from second on Mike Trout's line drive to center and tied the game at 5-5.
Scheduled to start on the mound Wednesday, Ohtani threw a bullpen before the game but said he was prepared to bat if called upon.
(Mike Trout, Justin Upton and Michael Hermosillo)
[Getty/Kyodo]
"First of all, what's important is today's game," he said after his pitching practice.
"That got the rally started -- good time for it right there," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said of Ohtani's second pinch hit in four tries.
Albert Pujols singled to bring in Trout and take the lead, but the Royals equalized when Salvador Perez homered against Angels' reliever Noe Ramirez in the top of the seventh.
In the eighth, Trout ripped a grounder past submarine lefty Tim Hill (1-2) to notch his second RBI of the game and retake the lead, and Justin Upton and Pujols followed suit to cap the three-run inning to seal the win at Angel Stadium.
Angels' right-hander Cam Bedrosian (2-1) picked up the win for throwing a perfect eighth inning.
Ohtani is 4-1 on the mound with a 3.18 ERA in eight games.
Shohei Ohtani scored the tying run on Monday that put the Los Angeles Angels on track to a 9-6 comeback victory over the Kansas City Royals.
Ohtani entered the game in the sixth inning as a pinch-hitter and singled in his only at-bat off a fastball from Royals' righty Kevin McCarthy. After McCarthy yielded a walk to the next hitter, Ohtani bolted home from second on Mike Trout's line drive to center and tied the game at 5-5.
Albert Pujols singled to bring in Trout and take the lead, but the Royals equalized when Salvador Perez homered against Angels' reliever Noe Ramirez in the top of the seventh.
In the eighth, Trout ripped a grounder past submarine lefty Tim Hill (1-2) to notch his second RBI of the game and retake the lead, and Justin Upton and Pujols followed suit to cap the three-run inning to seal the win at Angel Stadium.
(Mike Trout, Justin Upton and Michael Hermosillo)
[Getty/Kyodo]
Angels' right-hander Cam Bedrosian (2-1) picked up the win for throwing a perfect eighth inning.
Ohtani, who is 4-1 on the mound, is scheduled to make his ninth pitching start on Wednesday in the series finale against the Royals.
