Shohei Ohtani’s 30th home run rallied the Angels to a 3-2 victory over the Yankees on Monday night. While the Angels’ 30-year-old was a key player in the victory, the Angels also received timely home runs from Cortes and Carpenter.
Shohei Ohtani’s 30th home run
The Angels have swept a three-game series against the Yankees and won their last four games, all of them against contenders. Shohei Ohtani’s 30-run home run gave the Angels the lead in the fourth inning and ended the Yankees’ three-game winning streak. Despite the loss, Ohtani has continued to impress during his first major league season. He had a dazzling start to his career and was one of the best players in baseball before he was injured.
Ohtani became the first amateur in league history to hit 30 home runs and almanac ten victories. He also became the first Asian player to win the AL MVP award. Unlike Aaron Judge, Ohtani’s slugging was rewarded with his soaring 98 mph fastball in the sixth inning. The Angels had been down 2-0 when Ohtani delivered his three-run home run.
After a scoreless sixth, the Angels came back to rally in the seventh. Ohtani hit his 30th home run off of Cole, whose pitching performance was excellent. After a two-run fifth inning, the Angels didn’t pose a serious threat. But the Yankees were not done yet. Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge walked in the ninth inning.
Ohtani’s 30-run home run was the first in MLB history for a Japanese-born amateur. He was credited with making Gerrit Cole pay for his mistakes, but the Yankees’ lead fell to six games, their lowest since June 3. After a two-game series against the Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla., the Yankees will try to make up for the loss in the next three games.
The Angels have now won three of four games in a row. While the Yankees are one game behind the Rays in the AL East, the Mets have a three-game lead over the Braves. The Dodgers are eight games behind the Mets in the NL. They will play the Dodgers on Saturday night on SNY at 7:10 p.m.
The Angels’ victory was a deserved one. A loss would have put the Yankees in a worse position. A loss would have sent the Yankees’ three-game winning streak to the brink. Fortunately, the Angels have been able to avoid this disaster for a while.
Aaron Judge’s 50th home run matched Judge’s previous season-best total. Judge is one of only 10 players in major league history to have two 50-homer seasons. Judge smashed 52 long balls last year. Pete Alonso broke Judge’s rookie record by hitting 53 in 2018.
Carpenter’s home run
Matt Carpenter’s second home run of the season rallied the Angels to a 3-2 win over the Yankees on Sunday. The Angels’ star had out-shined the Yankees’ Aaron Judge, who hit his second home run of the night. Carpenter has hit multiple home runs in 15 percent of his games this season, and has knocked in seven runs twice.
After joining the Yankees last week as an in-season free agent, Carpenter is on the back nine of his career. But he feels like his swing issues have been fixed after a major offseason overhaul. But he was replaced by Tim Locastro in the third inning.
Carpenter’s home run in the first inning put the Angels ahead to start the game. Ohtani didn’t get his first swing and miss until his 54th pitch. Ohtani surrendered four runs over three innings and was pulled by Maddon. In the Yankees’ half of the lineup, Anthony Rizzo made his return after missing five games.
Cortes’ home run
The New York Yankees will play the Los Angeles Angels in the nightcap of a doubleheader on Sunday to close out their three-game series. Ohtani hit his 30th home run on Saturday, his 30th of the season. After a scoreless eighth, the Angels held off the Yankees 3-2. The Yankees hold a seven-game lead over the Rays in the AL East and hold a six-game advantage in the loss column. Meanwhile, the Angels are four games ahead of the Astros in the AL playoff race.
The Angels jumped ahead early thanks to a home run by Rengifo in the second inning. Rengifo’s 11th homer was his career high. He later scored on a sacrifice bunt by DJ LeMahieu in the third inning.
Ohtani was removed from the game in the fourth inning after giving up a pair of singles. Jose Quijada followed him, giving up an RBI double to Marwin Gonzalez. While he was charged with a run, he is still the longest winning streak by an Angels pitcher since Babe Ruth in 1933.
The Angels’ lineup did not change much after Ohtani’s 30-home run. Jameson Taillon held the Angels without a baserunner until the eighth inning. Kurt Suzuki then hit a RBI single to end the perfect game. After that, Archie Bradley gave up a two-run single to Anthony Rizzo in the eighth.
Shohei Ohtani is the first Japanese-born player to hit 30 home runs in consecutive seasons. In the first inning, he nearly connected on a two-run home run, but Aaron Hicks made the diving catch at the wall. After the first inning, he singled and scored before the Angels could score from the third inning. Later, Mike Trout and David Fletcher plated two runs from the bottom of the order.
Shohei Ohtani is currently nursing a sore right hand. He was hit by a 93-mph fastball on Saturday. His scheduled start on Sunday was delayed, but he is expected to be back within the week. Ohtani has already hit nine home runs in his last 13 games, matching Eddie Murray’s record.
Ohtani’s 29th HR broke a tie in the fifth inning. Aaron Judge hit his 50th home run in the eighth inning, and the Angels rallied to a 3-2 win over the slumping New York Yankees. The sellout crowd in the Anaheim Angels’ stadium included plenty of Yankees fans.
