Shohei Ohtani delivered a spectacular two-way performance Tuesday to propel the Los Angeles Angels to a 4-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox, striking out 10 while extending his MLB home run lead with a pair of long bombs.
Ohtani (7-3) surrendered a solitary run on four hits and a pair of walks over 6-1/3 innings on the mound, backed by his 3-for-3 night at the plate that included his 27th and 28th home runs and one walk.
At Angel Stadium's Japanese Heritage Night, the Japanese superstar marked his first game in either Nippon Professional Baseball or MLB with multiple home runs on a day in which he pitched. "I thought I pitched pretty well today. And on the days I pitch, I've been hitting pretty well this year, so I'll try to keep that up," Ohtani said.
Homering for the second straight day, he opened the scoring in the first inning with a solo shot deep to right center field off a 2-1 fastball from Chicago starter Michael Kopech (3-7).
Ohtani skipped the home run celebrations in the Angels' dugout and ran straight back to prepare for his return to the mound, where he was locked in from the outset.
Following a 1-2-3 first inning, Ohtani allowed a leadoff double in the second before retiring his next 10 batters in a row.
The American League MVP favorite was charged with a run after he exited the mound while dealing with a cracked fingernail in the top of the seventh, with one out and two runners on.
Ohtani did not appear concerned about the fingernail after the game, telling MLB.com, "I think I got out of the game before it got too bad."
To chants of "MVP" from the stands, he homered in his next at bat, making it 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh with a solo blast to left center off Touki Toussaint.
"The fans, they always help me out on the mound and in the box, and the louder the better," said Ohtani, who also leads the majors in RBIs (64), slugging average (.654) and opposing batting average (.180).
Angels closer Carlos Estevez pitched out of a none-out, bases-loaded jam in the ninth to get the save.
"I felt pretty good overall, but I wish I could have finished off that seventh inning," Ohtani said. "But the relievers came in and saved me, so I'm really happy we got the win."
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