The Angels needed to turn the page after Sunday. They gave it their best effort, winning in walk-off fashion on Michael Stefanic’s RBI single in a 4-3 extra-inning win over the New York Yankees at Angel Stadium.
Starter Griffin Canning struck out a career-high 12 batters, going 5 ⅔ innings while throwing a career-most 120 pitches. Mix in Shohei Ohtani’s not so subtle reminder why he’s the most talked about player this month and the Angels never stopped fighting all game.
Canning came out for the sixth inning having already thrown 101 pitches up. Manager Phil Nevin came out during that sixth inning after Canning walked the Yankees’ Isiah Kiner-Falefa, but Canning remained, determined to get the last out. He was finally pulled after loading the bases.
It was a length and strength the Angels needed to avoid the same snowball effect that happened with the rest of their pitching on Sunday.
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Reliever Jimmy Herget came in to replace Canning for the final out of the sixth, but two runs scored after Yankees’ right fielder Oswaldo Cabrera hit a two-run ground-rule double.
Matt Thaiss cut the Angels’ deficit to one run after hitting a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning, although the Yankees got that run back the next inning on a sacrifice fly.
Ohtani, who went three for four on the night, tied it in the bottom of the seventh when he hit a two-run home run, bringing him just a triple shy of the cycle. He struck out in his last at-bat.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.