The Los Angeles Angels are in the midst of a heated race in the American League West, and as they sit in third, they’ll need as many contributions from Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout as they can get.
Ohtani has logged 10 starts on the season as a starting pitcher, and has appeared in 48 of the Angels 50 games as a hitter. As the most versatile and impactful roster piece in the league, he’s doing as much as he can to impact a game.
According to Jeff Fletcher of the O.C. Register, Angels manager Phil Nevin routinely checks in and discusses Ohtani’s health, but the two-way star is against taking off days:
“Conversations keep happening, but right now he feels great, he doesn’t want to sit,” Nevin said. “I trust him when he’s talking about his body and how he feels. He’s normally very honest with me.”
In his 10 starts, Ohtani owns a 3.05 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, .142 batting average allowed and has tallied 80 strikeouts in 59 innings pitched. As a hitter, his .880 on-base plus slugging is on pace to beat out his 2022 numbers, and has clubbed 11 homers with 32 RBI in 185 at-bats.
Ohtani is in the middle of a crucial season as he heads toward free agency, but his desire to win remains one of the biggest reasons he stays on the field as much as he can.
Shohei Ohtani becomes first pitcher since 1964 to reach base five times in a game
The Angels earned a 9-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles in the opener of a four-game series starting on May 15, that saw Shohei Ohtani display his talents on both sides of the ball.
Ohtani logged seven innings for a second consecutive start and allowed five runs on four hits (three home runs) with five strikeouts against two walks.
Ohtani also went 4-for-5 with a triple, home run, three RBI and walk, falling a double short of the cycle. He became the first starting pitcher since 1964 to reach base five times in a game.
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