Shohei Ohtani (29-LA Angels) turned in another monster performance, but he couldn’t erase concerns about a back injury as he was pinch-hit in his final at-bat.
Ohtani started in the No. 2 spot in the lineup and went 2-for-4 with a home run, one RBI and one run scored in the first game of a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on Monday (Sept. 29).
He started the home run barrage in his first at-bat. With the bases loaded and one out in the first inning, he took a 93.4-mph (150-kilometer) fastball from Toronto’s Kevin Gausman over the right field fence. It hit 103.5 mph (166 km/h) and traveled 397 feet (121 meters). It was Ohtani’s third home run in as many at-bats after being removed from the lineup the day before against the Detroit Tigers. 39th of the season.
Ohtani had faced Detroit the day before, pitching a complete-game shutout in the first game of a doubleheader and hitting back-to-back homers in the second. He was expected to get the day off after leaving the game with muscle spasms, but he quickly recovered and returned to the lineup, arching from his first at-bat.
The second at-bat was Ohtani’s undoing. With the bases loaded and no outs in the third inning, he struck out swinging on a six-pitch splitter from Gaussman.
Trailing 1-2 in the sixth, Ohtani singled with one out for his second straight multi-hit game. He faced Gaussman again and worked a 1B-2S count, but took a four-pitch splitter on a technicality for a single to left. However, he was unable to capitalize as he was stranded at second.
His final at-bat was a double. Down 1-4, he led off the eighth inning with a grounder to shortstop on a full count against left-hander Tim Mayza.
Ohtani came to bat with one out in the ninth inning, trailing 1-4, but was replaced by pinch-hitter Michael Stefanik to end the game. Local multiple media outlets reported, “Ohtani, who was replaced yesterday due to back muscle spasms, was unable to bat in the ninth inning. He was replaced by Stefanik.”온라인카지노
With two more hits, Ohtani improved his season batting average from 2.988 to 3.011.
The Angels, third in the American League West, saw their five-game winning streak snapped in a 1-4 loss to Toronto despite Ohtani’s performance. He is now 54-50 on the season. Lucas Giolito, a free agent acquisition from the Chicago White Sox, took the loss in his Angels debut, allowing three runs on six hits (two homers) with one walk and five strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. Offensively, a bases-loaded, no-out opportunity in the seventh inning was the most painful.
Meanwhile, third-place Toronto improved to 58-46 with the sweep of the three-game series. Gaussman earned his eighth win of the season, allowing five runs (one earned) on six hits with three walks and nine strikeouts, while leadoff hitter Whit Merrifield led the offense with a 4-for-3 performance with a home run, one RBI and two runs scored.