OC Register: Shohei Ohtani’s milestone performance sparks late rally in Angels’ win

[AngelsWin.com]

ARLINGTON, Texas — With little left to achieve this season except individuals reaching statistical milestones, Shohei Ohtani achieved a couple of notable ones on Wednesday night.

Ohtani stole his 25th base and then scored his 100th run, starting a four-run inning that sent the Angels on their way to a 7-2 victory over the Texas Rangers.

Ohtani is the first player in American League history to combine those two numbers with 45 homers. Of course, no one has ever done it while also pitching, which Ohtani won’t do again this season. Ohtani, who stole his 26th base in the ninth inning, also has 98 RBIs, with four games to go.

Although the Angels are playing out the string in another losing season, by winning on Wednesday night they at least avoided a second straight loss to the Rangers, who absorbed their 100th loss.

The Angels broke open a tie game in the sixth, starting with a leadoff infield single by Ohtani. He hit a ground ball to first and easily got to the base before first baseman Nathaniel Lowe.

Ohtani then stole second and took third on an errant throw. He scored on a Jack Mayfield single. Kurt Suzuki and Jared Walsh followed with singles. Taylor Ward walked and then Juan Lagares singles. The fourth run scored on a groundout.

The runs came too late for starter Janson Junk to get a victory on a night when he gave up two runs in 4-1/3 innings and left with the score tied.

Junk, who came up from Double-A, was one of the pitchers the Angels received from the New York Yankees in the Andrew Heaney deal.

For the first three innings on Wednesday, Junk gave up just two singles, and one didn’t make it out of the infield.

In the fourth, he recorded the first two outs but then gave up four straight singles as the Rangers scored a couple of runs to tie the game.

He was pulled after allowing a one-out single in the fifth.

Angels relievers Austin Warren, José Quijada, Mike Mayers, Steve Cishek and Raisel Iglesias held the Rangers scoreless the rest of the game.

Quijada stood out, entering in the sixth with runners at second and third and no outs. He struck out the next three hitters, including a whiff on a 96.4-mph fastball that was his hardest pitch of the year.

More to come on this story.

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[WicketMaiden]

I love the poetry of the Heaney trade: the Yankees giving up an actual Junk for complete junk. Lovely. 

As for Shohei - 100 Runs; 45 HR; 26 SB; 98 RBI from over 600 Plate Appearances; plus 156 K's from the mound over 130 innings... did any of us expect that in our wildest dreams? 

Nice to see Taylor Ward slot straight back in and contribute too.

[Angel Oracle]

Where has that Quijada been?

Actually got through an outing with no walks, while K’ing the side?

Edited September 30, 2021 by Angel Oracle