Shohei Ohtani crushed a three-run homer, finished a double away from hitting for the cycle and picked up the win on the mound as the Los Angeles Angels earned a 9-5 victory over the host Baltimore Orioles on Monday.
Ohtani went 4-for-5 with three RBIs, three runs and a walk to offset a night in which he allowed a career-high-tying three homers over seven innings. The right-hander yielded a season-high-tying five runs on four hits to go along with five strikeouts and two walks.
Ohtani (5-1) became the first starting pitcher to reach base five times in a game since the Yankees’ Mel Stottlemyre did it against the Washington Senators in September 1964.
Chad Wallach went 3-for-5 with a solo homer and Gio Urshela went 2-for-4 with two RBIs for the Angels, who won for just the third time in their past nine games. Taylor Ward, Mike Trout and Hunter Renfroe also had two hits apiece for Los Angeles to open the four-game series.
Adam Frazier and Anthony Santander each hit a two-run homer and Cedric Mullins added a solo shot for the Orioles, who dropped their second straight game following a four-game winning streak.
After the Angels took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second on Zach Neto’s sacrifice fly that scored Luis Rengifo, the Orioles countered with a two-run home run by Frazier in the bottom of the frame.
The Angels regained the advantage at 3-2 in the third on Urshela’s double to left that scored Matt Thaiss and Ohtani.
The Orioles took the lead back in the bottom of the inning when Santander’s two-run homer made it 4-3 before the Angels broke open the game with a five-run fourth.
After Wallach’s solo homer tied the game, Ward and Trout hit consecutive one-out singles. On the next pitch, Ohtani blasted rookie starter Grayson Rodriguez’s curveball 456 feet over the right center field stands and onto the concourse for a 7-4 advantage.
Renfroe walked before Rodriguez was replaced by Logan Gillaspie, who gave up a run-scoring double to Thaiss, pushing the lead to 8-4.
Rodriguez (2-1) allowed eight runs on nine hits, including two homers, with three strikeouts and three walks in just 3 1/3 innings. It was his shortest start of the season.
Renfroe’s fifth-inning double scored Ohtani, who had tripled to left with two outs.
Mullins’ solo homer in the fifth cut the Angels’ lead to 9-5.
–Field Level Media
