Los Angeles Angels two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani homered twice on Monday night in a 14-inning 9-6 comeback victory against the Texas Rangers (box score) to move into the American League lead with 20 on the season.
The Angels fell behind 3-0 in the bottom of the second inning. A Mike Trout home run in the third cut the lead to 3-1, but the Rangers answered with a pair of runs of their own in the bottom half of the frame. Ohtani then plated a sacrifice fly as part of a three-run inning in the fifth.
Ohtani would then tie the game at 5-5 in the seventh inning with a solo home run before giving them a 7-5 lead in the top of the 12th. (Catcher Chad Wallach launched a two-run shot of his own that frame, giving the Angels a 9-5 advantage.) Here's a look at Ohtani's blasts:
OHTANI TIES IT UP 🦄💣@Angels | #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/RoPq4Ihgwo
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) June 13, 2023
OHTANI GIVES THE HALOS THE LEAD‼️‼️@Angels | #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/FbFyslY9Fy
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) June 13, 2023
The two shots combined to travel 847 feet, including a 459-foot homer that left the bat with a 114 mph exit velocity. Overall, Ohtani's night saw him go 2 for 4 with two home runs, four runs batted in, and a walk.
Ohtani, 28, entered Monday batting .287/.359/.571 (152 OPS+) with 18 home runs and 46 runs batted in. He had trailed New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge by a home run for the AL lead. Ohtani has now moved ahead of Judge and sits just two behind New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso for the majors lead. Alonso is, of course, on the injured list at the moment.
At 37-31 after Monday's victory, the Angels are now 5 ½ games back of the Rangers in the AL West.
