Anaheim, California – Shohei Ohtani homered for the second consecutive night and recorded his first stolen base of the coronavirus-delayed season in the Los Angeles Angels’ 8-5 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Thursday.
Ohtani went 1-for-4 and cut the Mariners’ lead to three runs with his three-homer off Dan Altavilla in the bottom of the ninth inning, but that was where the Angels’ offense stopped.
The Mariners scored five runs in the top half, allowing them to hold off the Angels despite a late push from the Japanese two-way player, who pitched in a major league game for the first time in nearly two years on Sunday.
Ohtani’s 42nd home run in the majors tied him with Kosuke Fukudome for fifth-most by a Japanese-born player.
He also reached on a fielder’s choice in the seventh inning, then promptly stole second. He struck out swinging and lined out in his first two at-bats.
Jose Marmolejos and Shed Long Jr. homered for Seattle, while winning pitcher Marco Gonzales threw into the seventh inning.
Marmolejos hit his first big league homer, a three-run shot in the first inning, after J.P. Crawford led off the game with a single and Kyle Seager drew a two-out walk. Marmolejos, a rookie first baseman, sent a fastball from Dylan Bundy (1-1) into the elevated stands in right field.
Long opened a five-run ninth by hitting Hansel Robles’ fastball over the wall in right. Crawford and Kyle Lewis each had two-run singles in the frame.
Gonzales (1-1) allowed only two unearned runs in 6⅓ innings on six hits with six strikeouts and a walk.
Indians 2, Twins 0
In Cleveland, Shane Bieber tied the major league record for strikeouts in a pitcher’s first two starts of the season, punching out 13 Minnesota Twins over eight innings in the Indians’ 2-0 victory on Thursday night.
Bieber (2-0) fanned 14 over six scoreless innings on Friday against Kansas City. His 27 strikeouts in the two games matched the record set by Karl Spooner of the Brooklyn Dodgers in September 1954 during the first two starts of his short career.
Facing a Twins team that came in with the second-best run differential in baseball, Bieber allowed three singles in his eight innings.
Francisco Lindor supplied all the offense Cleveland needed with a two-run homer in the third inning off Jose Berríos (0-1). After Jose Ramirez singled with two outs, Berrios left an 0-2 pitch up over the plate, and Lindor drove it over the fence in right for his second homer of the season.
Yankees 8, Orioles 6
In Baltimore, Aaron Judge hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning after New York blew an early five-run lead, and the Yankees swept an impromptu two-game series.
Luke Voit hit his first career grand slam for the Yankees, who stretched their winning streak against Baltimore to 18 games and notched their 17th consecutive victory at Camden Yards. New York has swept six straight series from the Orioles dating to early last year.
Judge’s second homer in two games – a no-doubt shot to left off Cole Sulser (0-1) – came after Pedro Severino put Baltimore in front with a two-run drive in the eighth against Jonathan Loaisiga (1-0).
Zack Britton worked the ninth for his second save.
After Voit connected in a five-run first inning against John Means, Hanser Alberto hit a two-run drive in the bottom half off J.A. Happ. Rio Ruiz homered for the third time in five games with a man on in the second to cut the deficit to 5-4.
Red Sox 4, Mets 2
Royals 5, Tigers 3
Braves 2, Rays 1
Nationals 6, Blue Jays 4
Dodgers 6, Diamondbacks 3
Padres 12, Giants 7 (10)
Source : Baseball – The Japan Times