Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani retired the Houston Astros' first 16 batters and yielded one hit over six shutout innings at Minute Maid Park to help the Los Angeles Angels win 6-0 on Wednesday.
Ohtani (1-2), who tied a career-best with 12 strikeouts, also gave himself some run support with a two-run double in the first inning. The 27-year-old Japanese won a pitching start for the first time this season and first time ever against the Astros.
He went 2-for-4 at the plate, batting twice in the first inning when the Angels batted around. He became the first starting pitcher to bat twice before throwing a pitch since at least 1900, according to MLB.com.
Ohtani was able to pitch the entire game with a comfortable lead after the Angels scored six runs in the top of the first inning to knock out Houston starter Jake Odorizzi (0-2).
Ohtani's jersey was already covered with dirt when he took the mound in the bottom half of the frame after diving back to first base just in time to beat a pick-off throw from the pitcher after leading off the game with a walk.
After striking out Niko Goodrum to start the bottom half of the sixth inning, Ohtani lost his perfect game and no-hit bid on a one-out, full-count single by catcher Jason Castro. One out later, Ohtani issued his first walk of the game.
Manager Joe Maddon pulled Ohtani after six innings, with 81 pitches, including 55 strikes. Ryan Tepera then worked the seventh and eighth, and Raisel Iglesias pitched the ninth to lock up the victory.
"My pitch count was getting high so I don't think I would've pitched nine innings," Ohtani said.
"I did poorly in my last outing so this gives me a big (boost of confidence). My pitches were effective. It's hard to get into a rhythm when your team scores early and you're expected to protect a six-run lead. I should give myself some credit," he said.
Ohtani, the reigning American League MVP, got his 2022 season off to a slow 5-for-29 start as a hitter and 0-2 start as a pitcher.
He gave up six runs, including his first grand slam in the majors, over 3-2/3 innings in a loss to the Texas Rangers on April 14. In his Opening Day start against the Astros on April 7, he surrendered one run, four hits and one walk with nine strikeouts over 4-2/3 innings.
Despite losing his chance at a perfect game, Maddon praised Ohtani for his "greatness," when he faced 20 batters and reached base safely three times in the same game. Ohtani also bunted for a base hit and spent the entire top of the sixth on base.
"I think he'd had enough of Houston giving him a hard time, and we wanted to go out there tonight and do something about it both on the mound and at the plate," Maddon said.
"Don't forget. He was on base three times. He spent a lot of time out there between pitching his innings and nobody does that."
At Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs rookie outfielder Seiya Suzuki went 0-for-2 with a walk in a rain-shortened outing against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays beat the Cubs 8-2 in a game that was called after 5-1/2 innings.
At American Family Field, Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Yoshitomo Tsutsugo went 0-for-3 with a walk in the team's 4-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.
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