Unlike his Los Angeles Angels, the two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is playing better as the 2022 MLB season progresses. Making an appearance on the mound as a starting pitcher in a 5-0 win over the Kansas City Royals, Ohtani retired 13 batters to post a career-high mark in strikeouts in a single game.
Ohtani pitched through the eighth inning, finishing the night with 108 pitches. He also served as the team’s designated hitter on the night.
“He just put us on his back,” the Angels interim manager Phil Nevin told reporters after the game. “It was just impressive. I thought about taking him out after the seventh, but he was adamant, ‘This is mine.’ What a day, what a performance by him.”
Impressively, Ohtani’s strikeout fest came after he had a career performance as a batter in an 11-12 loss to Kansas City on Tuesday night. The 27-year-old hit two home runs while having a career-high eight RBIs. He is the first player in history to have eight RBIs as a hitter one night and then have at least 10 strikeouts as a pitcher the following night.
Ohtani, who won the AL MVP honors last season, is batting .260 and has 15 homers and 45 RBIs in 2022. He also made 12 starts as a pitcher, going 6-4 with a 2.90 ERA and 90 strikeouts.
