Even with constant questions about his future, Shohei Ohtani continues to produce at an amazing clip for the Los Angeles Angels.
The two-way star tied the score of Monday night’s game against the Yankees in the seventh inning with his major-league-leading 35th home run. That set the stage for pinch-hitter Michael Stefanic‘s game-ending single in the 10th that gave the Angels a 4-3 win over the New York Yankees on Monday night.
Angels OF Shohei Ohtani LAUNCHES a two-run MOONSHOT to tie the game against the Yankees
Los Angeles trailed 3-1 when Ohtani hit a two-run drive off Michael King, then made a demonstrative flip of his bat. Ohtani’s 403-foot blast, which was punctuated by the flip, caught social media by storm. FOX Sports’ Ben Verlander led the way in the social reaction to Ohtani’s latest mesmerizing blast.
FOX Sports contributor Rob Friedman, aka @PitchingNinja on Twitter, also graded the flip as if he was reacting to the latest knee-buckling breaking ball from a pitcher.
MLB‘s official Spanish-language Twitter account shared a video of what it was like when in center field at Angels Stadium when Ohtani hit the blast.
The Angels broadcast caught several angles of reactions throughout the ballpark to Ohtani’s memorable home run. Teammate Andrew Velazquez seemed aghast, while Grammy Award-winning singer Gwen Stefani couldn’t contain her excitement.
Manager Phil Nevin said the bat flip constituted the most emotion he has ever seen from Ohtani, who has homered 19 times in his last 31 games.
“We know what it does for the whole place, but you guys have to understand what it does for our dugout too. It’s massive,” Nevin said. “Then to come out on top, I’m glad it wasn’t wasted.”
Some questioned why the Yankees pitched to Ohtani, considering he represented the tying run late in the game and has been on a historic tear since the beginning of June. Yankees manager Aaron Boone didn’t second-guess his decision.
“Nah, no, no. Maybe if [the runner at first] got to second base and fallen behind in the count or something,” Boone told reporters. “But nah, not there.
“No, not in that spot,” Boone later added when asked if Ohtani was a special case to intentionally walk while putting a runner in scoring position. “I did it in about as unique of a spot, with [runners] at first and third, as you can in a tied game. The guy hitting behind him is hitting .330, too. So, I wasn’t going to put another runner on at second and have the tying run on and the go-ahead run at the plate with a two-run lead.”
With his seventh-inning home run, Ohtani hit some historical feats. He’s homered in three straight games for the sixth time in six big-league seasons and surpassed his home-run total from last year. He became the third player in Angels history with multiple 35-homer seasons and is the fifth player since 2000, via ESPN Stats & Info.
No player has been more clutch than Ohtani over the last month, and maybe no player in MLB history has had a more clutch month than him. He’s hit 12 homers in the seventh inning or later since June 12. Not only is that the same amount of home runs that any player has hit in any point of the game during that span, but it’s also the most homers hit in the seventh inning or later in a 28-game span in MLB history, via Opta Stats.
By hitting his 35th home run on Monday, Ohtani is on pace to hit 60 home runs this season. His recent tear has some people starting to wonder if he’ll break the American League record for home runs in a season that Aaron Judge set just last year with 62.
Of course, there’s a chance Ohtani won’t finish out the season in the American League. Ohtani is in the last year of his contract. Where he will play next season has been a source of speculation all season, but trade rumors have increased as the Aug. 1 deadline approaches and the Halos struggle to stay in contention.
Los Angeles (47-48) was in position for a wild-card berth earlier this season but is 6-15 since June 20. The Angels are 5 1/2 games behind Houston for the final spot.
The off-field pressures haven’t affected Ohtani’s performance at the plate. He had three hits and increased his average to .306.
“He wants to win in the worst way. It’s just been frustrating for him the last two weeks, as it is for everybody,” Nevin said. “He wants to win and he wants to win here.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Major League Baseball
Shohei Ohtani
Los Angeles Angels
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