The Angels, who are retaining the services of star two-way talent Shohei Ohtani for at least the remainder of this season, were rewarded for their faith in a big way on Thursday afternoon.
Less than 24 hours after Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci reported that the organization had decided not to deal the two-way superstar at the trade deadline, Ohtani posted a historic performance during the club’s doubleheader against the Tigers.
In the opener, the American League MVP frontrunner pitched an absolute masterpiece, recording the first complete game shutout of his Major League Baseball career.
Ohtani allowed just one hit and three walks, while striking out eight over nine innings en route to a 6–0 victory. The three-time MLB All-Star improved his record to 9–3 on the season with a solid 3.43 ERA.
A complete game shutout for Shohei Ohtani‼️
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 27, 2023
(via @BallySportWest) pic.twitter.com/cJdSd0HMol
If making personal history with a dominant outing on the mound wasn’t incredible enough, the 29-year-old standout made MLB history in the back end of the doubleheader.
Ohtani slugged his league-leading 37th and 38th home runs in the second game of the doubleheader off Tigers pitcher Matt Manning.
SHOHEI AGAIN‼️🤯💣@Angels | #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/th0EsZqvZy
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) July 27, 2023
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Ohtani is the first player to throw a shutout as well as hit two home runs on the same day since Sonny Siebert performed the feat while a member of the Red Sox back in 1971.
Shohei Ohtani is the first player to throw a shutout in one game of a doubleheader, then hit a home run in the other game of the doubleheader. h/t @EliasSports pic.twitter.com/lwmYmtDIIT
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 27, 2023
Following his third at-bat in the second game, in which he blasted his second home run, Ohtani was removed from the lineup due to cramping, the Angels announced.
After sweeping the two-game set, the Angels extended their winning streak to four straight games while winning nine of their last eleven outings. Los Angeles is now only three games back in the AL Wild Card hunt.
