Los Angeles Angels two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani recorded some historic feats in a 5-1 win against the Oakland Athletics (box score) on Tuesday.
For one, Ohtani became the first American League pitcher to hit a home run and threw six scoreless innings in the same competition as Dave McNeely did it with the Baltimore Orioles in 1972. Incidentally, McNally’s game also took place on August 9, or 50. from years till today, According to ESPN stats and information,
It should be noted that McNally’s play preceded the implementation of the designated hitter. This would happen in the next season in 1973. Meanwhile, Ohtani served as both the Angels’ starting pitcher and their designated hitter on Tuesday nights, making a difference to his performances.
Ohtani ends his night with six shutout frames. He made four hits and three walks, dismissing five batsmen on 91 pitches. Ohtani was hit by a comeback in the third inning, and he was later taken off the field. However, he did not show any ill effects and continued without any pressure.
Ohtani recorded a pair of hits to the plate, including his 25th home run of the season. That home run was the 118th of his career, leaving him behind second-place Ichiro Suzuki in Major League Baseball by a player of Japanese descent. Only Hideki Matsui, who made it home 175 times in the majors, has more.
As noted by MLB.com’s Sarah LangesOhtani now has two seasons in which he has homed more than 25 times and dismissed more than 150 batsmen. There are only two such seasons in league history.
Ohtani entered Tuesday and hit .253/.344/.492 (134 Ops+) in 456 plate appearances. On the mound, he accumulated 2.83 ERAs (142 ERA+) and 6.33 strike-to-walk ratio in 18 starts and 105 innings.