Angels & Shohei Ohtani Getting Hot At Perfect Time

Against the Rangers, the Angels designated hitter and pitcher Shohei Ohtani tied the MLB lead with his 22nd homer in their win 5-3 on Thursday.

The Japanese all-star continues his reign of supremacy in the MLB, as he also pitched six innings in their most recent win. His home run in the eighth inning capped off their team victory and was his second homer in the past two games.

In their first game of the four-game series, one that went 12 innings, Ohtani hit two homers in their win 9-6 over the Rangers. So far, the 28-year-old superstar posted 12 at-bats, seven hits, eight RBIs, seven walks, and two strikeouts, along with one stolen base in four games. Pitching-wise, he has struck out three batters in the series.

According to David Adler, Statcast for the MLB, Ohtani’s distance of homers in one series is more than impressive.

Ohtani was “just a bit tired,” as Angels manager Phil Nevin sarcastically said, as the star’s last big swing to clinch the series went “only” 443 feet.

“Gutsy six innings, two runs against a good lineup. Thought he threw the ball great,” Nevin said. “Let’s talk about the hitting, too. Yeah, that was nice. It… was just an unreal series.”

In the past 16 games, that is Ohtani’s tenth home run, as it matches New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, who is currently dealing with a wrist injury.

“What this game’s meant for a lot of us here, nice to see him on a big stage do stuff like that,” Nevin on Ohtani’s performance recently from this past series.

Ohtani on the game, stated through his translator, “Obviously a huge win, they’re in first place, and I think all the boys were fired up because of that. I’m seeing the ball well and I feel really good in my setup.”

Going 2-1 in the series with Texas, Los Angeles is four and a half games back in the AL West, as they are ranked third behind the Astros and Rangers. However, winning the series against the division-leading Rangers just marks the start of a potential win streak, as the Angels are 8-2 in the last ten games.

Houston is in the mix in a tight three-team race mostly, as they are only three and a half games back, but both the Astros and Rangers have been on the downswing, going 4-6 in their last ten matches.

The Mariners have a less likely chance to compete, as they are 4-6 the past ten games, but are in the running behind the other three teams. Seattle is also eight and a half games back in the division, as they signed Didi Gregorius to a minor league deal last week.

The division has been plenty busy, as the Astros just lost star pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. to a season-ending injury, and the last-place Oakland Athletics went through a “reverse boycott,” as the team is relocating to Las Vegas in 2025.

Despite all this chaos, on the back of Ohtani with their most recent wins, the Angels are trending towards making a push for the West title or close to it after beating the division-leading Rangers.