ANAHEIM — No one in baseball is doing what Shohei Ohtani is right now, and the Angels’ two-way star added to his growing case for AL MVP with his MLB-leading 14th homer on Tuesday night.
Ohtani hit his third homer in as many games — and fourth in five — off Cleveland’s Zach Plesac in the first inning at Angel Stadium, sending it 440 feet to straightaway center at 111.9 mph. And Ohtani made the most of it, staring at the path of the ball as he walked up the first-base line.
Despite the booming homer, which helped erase a five-run deficit, the Angels fell to the Indians, 6-5.
The homer cut the Angels’ deficit to 5-1 and came in a spot where the Angels were looking for a jolt of momentum after a rough first inning that had them go down five runs. It also came on a day in which Mike Trout landed on the injured list and could be out 6-8 weeks.
Ohtani’s impact on the Angels’ offense didn’t stop with his first-inning swing.
In the fourth inning, he led off with a single to center, setting the tone for the Halos to make some noise. The two-way star’s knock was followed by a single from Anthony Rendon, and both runners came home on a three-run blast off Justin Upton’s bat.
With Trout expected to be out for an extended period of time, Ohtani will be counted on to fill the void of the three-time AL MVP. Aside from leading the Majors in homers, Ohtani also has a team-high 33 RBIs, while adding a .956 OPS.
The homer gave Ohtani seven dingers in 13 career games against Cleveland. He is scheduled to start on the mound against the Indians on Wednesday.
