Shohei Ohtani did not have an ideal outing on Saturday evening against the Houston Astros. The Los Angeles Angels two-way star did manage to throw 5.0 innings of one-run baseball and included seven strikeouts. However, he allowed six hits and two walks and was forced to leave the game early.
Ohtani went to the mound to begin warming up for the sixth inning, when he abruptly stopped and called the Angels training staff. He was quickly removed from the game due to a blister, having thrown just 79 pitches.
Angels interim manager Phil Nevin praised Ohtani for being so careful about a potential blister and getting the training staff involved to make an informed decision about whether or not to stay in the game, according to Edwin Perez of MLB.com:
“He manages his body as well as anybody,” Nevin said. “It was about getting him out of there before it opens to not jeopardize his next start.”
Prior to Ohtani having blister issues, he threw a blistering fastball to Kyle Tucker to strike him out in the third inning. On an 0-2 count, Ohtani blazed a fastball, one that the radar gun clocked at 101.4 mph. That is the fastest pitch of Ohtani’s career.
“Just a lot more awesomeness from him,” Angels interim manager Phil Nevin said. “It was a pretty good outing for him, including that moment.”
Fans have become used to Ohtani doing something incredible nearly every time he steps onto a baseball field. And while his overall start had some imperfections, his season stats remain incredible.
On the year, Ohtani has tossed 141.0 innings over 24 starts, both career highs. In that time, he’s posted a 2.55 ERA, 1.064 WHIP, 12.0 Ks per nine, 2.2 walks per nine, a 5.37 K-to-BB ratio, and a FIP of 2.51. All of these numbers are career bests.
Trout homers for sixth straight game
The other Angels superstar, Mike Trout, kept his historic streak alive by hitting a three-run homer in the second inning on Saturday. It was his sixth consecutive game with a home run, breaking the Angels franchise record and putting him just two games away from tying the MLB record.