Ohtani cruised through the first three innings, retiring the first nine batters in order with dominance, his strikeout countreaching five by the end of the the third. But in the top of the fourth inning, which started with Ohtani’s pitch com device faltering, he gave up the five-run lead the Angels built.
The inning started with Ohtani pulling his receiver from his hat and standing on the mound appearing to struggle hearing it. Toward the end of the inning, catcher Chad Wallach was giving him physical signs.
Ohtani threw two wild pitches, hit two batters, walked one batter, gave up a ground-rule double and gave up two home runs all before getting an out.
The first home run he gave up, a three-run shot to Brent Rooker, ended Ohtani’s streak of 35 consecutive scoreless innings at Angel Stadium, the second-longest such streak behind Mark Clear’s 36 2/3 innings in 1979.
The rest of Ohtani’s outing carried on mostly unhindered, though he hit another batter in the sixth inning. His final line after six innings included five earned runs and three hits
Offensively, Ohtani was part of the Angels’ continued barrage over the A’s. His day at the plate started with a soft, ground-ball single that shattered his bat in the first inning.
(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
Ohtani followed with an RBI double in the third, knocking in the game’s first run. Ohtani scored that inning on Brandon Drury’s three-run home run.
His hit in the sixth inning almost looked as if it were going to be a home run. But as it fell, it was clear the ball would drop in front of the wall, a routine flyout to Esteury Ruiz in center field. But Ruiz dropped it and Ohtani was credited with a triple.
In Ohtani’s final at-bat in the eighth, he hit a fly ball that Ruiz caught on the warning track, leaving Ohtani a home run short of the cycle.
Carlos Estévez came in for the ninth to secure his fifth save of the season.