Shohei Ohtani (LA Angels) had another monster game. He started the game as a pitcher and didn’t last long on the mound due to hand cramps, but he stayed in the game as a hitter and hit a home run. He became the first major leaguer to reach the 40-homer plateau in a season this year.
On April 4, Ohtani started and batted second in the lineup against the Seattle Mariners at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California. Ohtani lasted just four innings that day. It was due to right hand cramps. He was up to 59 pitches in the fourth inning, allowing three hits, one walk, and four strikeouts.
Ohtani, however, was on fire down the stretch. He reached base in every at-bat with two hits, including a home run, and two walks. In his fifth and final at-bat in the bottom of the eighth inning, Ohtani took a six-pitch, 155-kilometer fastball from Seattle’s Ishaya Campbell over the right-center field fence. It was the 40th home run of the season for Ohtani, who leads the majors in home runs.
With the home run, Ohtani resumed his quest for the American League home run record. He needs to surpass Aaron Judge’s (New York Yankees) record of 62 home runs set last year. The Angels have played 110 games to this point, and Ohtani needs to hit 23 more home runs in the remaining 52 games to reach the record.
“I had cramps in my whole hand, not just my fingers,” Ohtani said through an interpreter after the game, “and I thought I could have pitched another inning or two. But I didn’t want to give up a run in a 0-0 tie, and I thought it was better for the team if I stopped pitching.” With the early exit, Ohtani’s 10th win of the season will have to wait until another day.토토사이트
Ohtani’s one-run homer gave the Angels a 3-1 lead, but he gave up a walk-off grand slam to Cade Marlowe in the top of the ninth to lose 3-5.