Ohtani Dominates Trout Twice in Anaheim: Relive the Star Duel

Shohei Ohtani returned to the mound at Angel Stadium with a performance of 4 innings and one-third, allowing five hits and four runs, wearing the Los Angeles Dodgers jersey. This was his first appearance as a pitcher in Anaheim since leaving the Angels almost two years ago. Ohtani put on a complete show for his former fans, accumulating seven strikeouts. Among his victims, Mike Trout stood out, whom he struck out twice, the second time with his fastest pitch of the night: a 101 mph fastball in the fourth inning. The player also secured an early lead for the Dodgers, by hitting a triple and scoring as the first batter, before even going up to the mound. This delighted the Angels fans with the same feats he used to perform during his six seasons on the team. Ohtani’s performance on the mound was the longest since he resumed pitching two months ago, although he couldn’t maintain the pace until the end. In the fifth inning, he allowed three consecutive hits with one out, and was replaced after a double by Zach Neto cut the Dodgers’ lead to 5-4. Although Anthony Banda managed to get out of the jam, he did so after the Angels loaded the bases. In addition, Ohtani gave up a home run to Taylor Ward during the second inning, in which the Angels scored two runs. Despite this, he showed a good performance in the following two innings, before being relieved after Neto’s singles and double. Ohtani remains an idol in Anaheim, where fans mostly do not blame him for leaving a team that could not build a winning team around him and Trout for six consecutive seasons with negative results. The three-time Most Valuable Player (MVP), two of those trophies won with the Angels, has been greeted with applause every time he returns to the “Big A”, although much of the public usually wears the blue of the Dodgers in these Freeway Series games. The fans were expectant for the main event: After Trout and Ohtani greeted each other with slight gestures and smiles, Ohtani closed the first inning with three outs, throwing five consecutive fastballs to Trout before striking him out with a breaking pitch. The former teammates and MVPs hadn’t faced each other since Ohtani struck out Trout in Tokyo, with the same pitch, to end the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Ohtani was even more aggressive with Trout in their second encounter, starting with a 73 mph curveball before finally striking him out with that powerful fastball on the outside lower corner. In addition to Trout, Ohtani faced many familiar faces on Wednesday: Seven of the nine starting hitters for the Angels played with him in Anaheim.

Ohtani hadn’t been on the mound at the “Big A” since August 23, 2023, when he left a game against Cincinnati in the second inning due to elbow pain, which was later revealed to be a torn ligament. The resulting surgery prevented him from pitching in 2024, after signing a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers. Ohtani resumed pitching two months ago, and the Dodgers have been gradually increasing his innings, maintaining his daily role as designated hitter and leadoff hitter. Before his return to the mound, Ohtani hit home runs in the first two games of the series, although he also hit a line drive that resulted in a triple play on Tuesday. After receiving a strong applause before the game, Ohtani started by connecting a 2-2 pitch from Kyle Hendricks to right field for a triple, and quickly scored thanks to Betts’ single. Will Smith added his number 15 home run a few minutes later, giving his pitcher a 3-0 lead. Ward connected a 97 mph fastball from Ohtani to right field for his 29th home run, the second one Ohtani has allowed this season. Then, Yoán Moncada hit a double and scored thanks to two flyouts. Ohtani was struck out at the plate in the second inning, but received a walk in the fourth, loading the bases and forcing Hendricks to be relieved. The Angels reliever, Andrew Chafin, struck out Ohtani with a slider when the batter came up again in the sixth inning.