Shohei Ohtani was his usually brilliant self on the mound on Thursday, until a pitch com issue led to an uncharacteristic, single-inning unraveling that lost an Angels lead. The Angels still went on to beat the Oakland Athletics, 8-7, winning the series.
Ohtani cruised through the first three innings, sending down batters 1-2-3 with dominance, his strikeout counter reaching five by the end of the top of the third. But in the top of the fourth inning, which started with Ohtani’s pitch com device faltering, he gave up the five-run lead the Angels had.
The inning started with Ohtani pulling his receiver from his hat and standing on the mound appearing to struggle hearing it. Towards the end of the inning, catcher Chad Wallach was giving him physical signs.
Ohtani, in that fourth, threw two wild pitches, hit two batters, walked one batter, gave up a ground-rule double and gave up two home runs all before he was able to get a single out.
The first home run he gave up, a three-run shot hit by Brent Rooker, ended Ohtani’s streak of 35 consecutive scoreless innings at Angel Stadium, the second-longest such streak after Mark Clear’s 36.2 innings in 1979.
Ohtani was able to get out of the inning after Wallach started with the physical signs. The rest of his outing carried on mostly without any other mistakes — he hit another batter in the sixth inning. His final line after six innings included five earned runs on three hits
Offensively, Ohtani was part of the Angels continued barrage over the A’s on Thursday. His day at the plate started with a soft, ground ball single that shattered his bat in the first inning, the first Angels hit of the game.
Then there was the RBI-double he hit in the third, getting the Angels and the game’s first run of the afternoon. He was driven in that inning on Brandon Drury’s three-run home run.
His hit in the sixth inning almost looked like it was going to be a home run. As it fell, it was clear the ball was dropping inside the wall, a routine fly out to Esteury Ruiz in center field. But Ruiz dropped the ball and Ohtani was able to log a triple.
Ohtani came just one home run away from hitting for the cycle, but his final at-bat resulted in a flyout, Ruiz catching the ball at the warning track.
Carlos Estévez came in for the ninth inning, securing his fifth save of the season.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.