Boston – Shohei Ohtani hit a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning to lift the Los Angeles Angels to a 6-5 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday at Fenway Park.
Ohtani went 1-for-5 and is now tied with three others for the MLB lead in home runs at 12. He is batting .262 and has driven in 29 runs in 37 games, all while also registering a 2.10 ERA over five starts as a pitcher.
In the series finale, Ohtani launched a first-pitch 96.7-mph(155 kph) fastball from Boston closer Matt Barnes (1-1) just inside the right-field foul pole after Mike Trout was able to get on base on a bloop single.
Ohtani, who was third in the lineup as the Angels designated hitter, said he was watching the ball and hoping it did not sail outside Pesky’s pole. He called it the most significant homer of his major league career so far.
“We managed to win, which is huge,” Ohtani said.
“When we win a game like this to me it means we’ve got what it takes, so I hope we get into a rhythm from here on,” he said.
The Angels said Ohtani’s next start on the mound will come on Wednesday against the Cleveland Indians at Angel Stadium.
Raisel Iglesias (2-2) pitched the eighth for the win. Mike Mayers worked around two walks in the ninth to preserve the victory.
At Coors Field in Denver, Shogo Akiyama went 3-for-4 with two RBIs for his first three-hit game this season as the visiting Cincinnati Reds rallied late to beat the Colorado Rockies 7-6.
At Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota Twins right-hander Kenta Maeda was charged with five runs, three of them earned, and eight hits in four-plus innings before the Oakland Athletics scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the ninth inning to claim a 7-6 victory.
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Source : Baseball – The Japan Times