Two-way prodigy Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels set a new franchise record in Tuesday’s 2-0 victory over the Washington Nationals (box score) by starting 10 straight starts with 2 runs or less. The Angels record for such starts previously belonged to Nolan Ryan. Who scored 9 in 1972-73.
Ohtani, 28, held the bottom Nationals to one hit in seven innings. He was unusually wild for the evening, walking five batters. Nevertheless, he struck out 6 and closed out the line as a hurler with 92 balls. As a batter, Ohtani had four hits in one and singled his only knock.
The last time Ohtani conceded was in a starter game against the Detroit Tigers on August 21, 2022, when he conceded two or more runs. He gave up three runs that day. Ohtani has not conceded more than three goals in a game since July 22, 2022.
Going into Tuesday’s game, Ohtani was pitching 12 innings in two starts. He struck out his 18 batters and in those frames he had seven bases on balls. Ohtani had a .306/.419/.611 batting average (185 OPS+) as a hitter, with three homers and two doubles in which he had 43 at-bats.
Ryan played nine straight games in his 25th and 26th seasons, his first two years as a member of the then-California Angels. He pitched his 8th season with the Angels, posting a 3.07 ERA (115+ ERA) and a 1.86 strikeout-to-walk ratio.Ryan had more appearances for the Angels (291 vs. 288 for him), more than any other team. MLB franchise.
With Tuesday night’s win, the Angels improved to 6-5. They wrap up the series against the Nationals on Wednesday before leaving Thursday. This weekend they start the series with a trip against the Boston Red Sox.
