Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels continued his hot streak, extending his hitting streak to nine games. However, his performance didn’t come in the midst of a tough offense.

Ohtani was designated for assignment and batted second in the lineup for the Angels’ 2023 Major League Baseball home opener against the Seattle Mariners on Friday (May 5) at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, and went 1-for-4 with a double, a run scored, and a walk.

Ohtani took the mound the previous day (April 4) as a starter, but after four scoreless innings, he was unable to continue pitching due to cramping in his right hand and fingers and voluntarily left the game. At the plate, however, he continued to play, extending his hitting streak to eight games with his 40th arch in his final at-bat, becoming the first player in the majors to reach the 40-homer plateau this year.

The good times kept rolling today. However, unlike the previous day, he was unable to make a significant impact on the team’s scoring and prevent the team from losing the game. The first innings didn’t go well. Trailing 1-4 and with the bases loaded in the bottom of the first inning, Ohtani faced Seattle starter Luis Castillo and fouled off a four-pitch slider for a foul tip to start the game.

In his second at-bat, he made up for it with a walk. Trailing 1-5 in the bottom of the third inning, Ohtani played the role of the “link” perfectly, drawing a walk to Castillo in his second at-bat with the bases loaded. The Angels loaded the bases with one out, and Ohtani came home to score on Mike Moustakas’ game-winning grand slam.

The first hit came in the bottom of the fourth inning. Trailing 7-5 and with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, Ohtani faced Castillo again, this time with the bases loaded, and lined a 96 mph four-seam fastball into the left field seats for a two-run double. A hit in nine straight games. However, it didn’t lead to a run for the Angels, as no one followed up.

Even with the Angels and Seattle battling back and forth, Ohtani’s RBI didn’t add up. In the bottom of the sixth inning with the bases loaded and the score tied at 7-7, Ohtani battled Castillo for eight pitches before striking out.

In his final at-bat, he got a little too greedy. Ohtani entered the final at-bat with runners on first and second in the bottom of the ninth, trailing 7-9. Facing Seattle reliever Matt Bush, he swung wildly at a first-pitch slider and fouled off a second pitch to get into an unfavorable 0B-2S count. He swung wildly at Bush’s third pitch, a high fastball that was well outside the strike zone, and struck out for the third out, heading back to the dugout with his head down.안전놀이터

The Angels got off to a rough start, giving up four runs in the first inning. Mike Moustakas hit a grand slam to tie the game in the middle innings, but the Angels fell behind Seattle in the eighth and ninth innings in a “back and forth” battle, falling 7-9 to snap a four-game losing streak.