Shohei Ohtani emulates Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan by achieving two historic feats in one game
And on Wednesday, a few days after being named an All-Star as both pitcher and hitter, Ohtani continued his hot streak and made history again – this time with two historic performances.
In the Los Angeles Angels’ 7-1 win at Angel Stadium, the Japanese doubles star struck out 12 Houston Astros batters in six innings and went 2-for-4 with a two-run triple in the second inning.
In his sixth consecutive starting win, he also tied two records set by Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan.
Ohtani is only the second Angels pitcher in franchise history, joining Ryan, to record at least 10 strikeouts in four consecutive games.
He also became the first Angels starter to hit a triple since Ryan on June 27, 1972 at Minnesota.
“Of course it’s a great honor to be mentioned in the same sentence as someone like Nolan Ryan,” said Ohtani through his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. “But for me it’s not just about strikeouts, it’s also about getting zeros and shutting out opponents.”
Ohtani, the reigning American League MVP, is determined to recapture the title this season.
Although he faces stiff competition in Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros, Ohtani’s impact on the Angels’ victories this season has been tremendous.
Thanks to his two-way skills, the Angels are undefeated in six games in Ohtani’s starts, while the team overall has a 12-32 record in recent weeks.
In those six games, Ohtani posted an incredible 0.45 ERA and totaled 58 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings.
“I’ve said it the last three or four times, but he’s got us on our conscience,” said Angels interim manager Phil Nevin. “He knows what he’s up against. We’ve lost a few in the last few starts and he takes it personally.”
A few days ago, Ohtani was named to the All-Star Game as both a pitcher and hitter for the second straight year appointed.
Before last year, no player had ever been selected to the All-Star Game as both a position player and a pitcher. Now he’s done it twice in two years.
His appearance on Wednesday came in front of Astros manager Dusty Baker, who will oversee the American League team for Tuesday’s All-Star Game. Afterwards, Baker was full of praise.
“He’s not just an all-star, he’s a megastar,” said Baker. “One of the best offensive players and one of the best pitchers. And he’s smart – I can tell by the way he plays that he’s talented, but he’s smart too.”
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Those: edition.cnn.com
2024-01-04 16:53:06
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