Shohei Ohtani extended his hitting streak to a career-best 17 games as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Texas Rangers 8-3 on Sunday, equaling his longest stretch as a member of the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan's Pacific League.
Fresh from signing a new one-year, $30-million deal with the Angels, the two-way superstar kept the streak alive with a line-drive single to center in his first plate appearance.
He later scored on Taylor Ward's RBI single as the Halos racked up six runs against right-hander Tyson Miller (1-2) in the first inning of their Angel Stadium season finale.
Ohtani hit for 17 straight games during the 2016 Nippon Professional Baseball season, when he helped the Fighters win the Japan Series.
Mike Trout hit his 39th homer of the year in the fourth, becoming the all-time home run leader against the Rangers with his 44th career blast while opposing the club.
Despite his overall consistency at the plate, Ohtani has not homered for the past 19 games, marking his longest spell in MLB without a bomb.
He also did not add to his total of 94 RBIs, leaving him in need of another six over the final three games to reach 100 for two consecutive seasons.
The Angels head into the season's final series against the Oakland Athletics riding a seven-game winning streak, their longest since April 8-14, 2018, according to MLB.com.
At Wrigley Field, Seiya Suzuki went 2-for-4 to help the Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-1, extending their win streak to seven in their final home game.
The former Hiroshima Carp star, who has made a strong impression for the Cubs in his major league rookie season, was warmly cheered by Chicago fans at the end of the game.
"I've played at a lot of venues, and there aren't many that have regular game-day crowds like this one," said Suzuki, who recently returned from a trip home to Japan for the birth of his first child.
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