Even with constant questions about his future, Shohei Ohtani continues to produce at an amazing clip for the Los Angeles Angels.
The two-way star on Monday tied the score in the seventh inning with his major league-leading 35th home run. That set the stage for pinch-hitter Michael Stefanic’s game-ending single in the 10th that gave the Angels a 4-3 win over the New York Yankees.
Los Angeles trailed 3-1 when Ohtani hit a two-run drive off Michael King, then made a demonstrative flip of his bat. Ohtani has homered in three straight games for the sixth time in six big league seasons and surpassed his home run total from last year.
Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA Today
Manager Phil Nevin said the bat flip was the most emotion he has seen from Ohtani, who has homered 19 times in his past 31 games.
“We know what it does for the whole place, but you guys have to understand what it does for our dugout too. It’s massive,” Nevin said. “Then to come out on top, I’m glad it wasn’t wasted.”
Ohtani is in the last year of his contract. Where he will play next season has been a source of speculation all season, but trade rumors have increased as the Aug. 1 deadline approaches and the Halos struggle to stay in contention.
Los Angeles (47-48) were in position for a wild-card berth, but is 6-15 since June 20. The Angels are five-and-a-half games behind the Houston Astros for the final spot.
The off-field pressures have not affected Ohtani’s performance at the plate. He had three hits and increased his average to .306.
“He wants to win in the worst way. It’s just been frustrating for him the last two weeks as it is for everybody,” Nevin said. “He wants to win and he wants to win here.”
The Yankees (50-45) have dropped seven of nine and are 15-20 since Aaron Judge was injured on June 3. They are in sole possession of last place in the American League East this late in a season for the first time since 1990.
“I thought we did a lot of good things tonight, but certain situations you have to make better adjustments,” manager Aaron Boone said after the Yankees struck out a season-high 17 times and were 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position.
Elsewhere on Monday, the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied to beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-4, the Texas Rangers pipped the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2, the Cleveland Guardians blanked the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-0, the Seattle Mariners edged the Minnesota Twins 7-6, the Boston Red Sox dominated the Oakland Athletics 7-0 and the St Louis Cardinals beat the Miami Marlins 6-4.
The Washington Nationals topped the Chicago Cubs 7-5, the Detroit Tigers downed the Kansas City Royals 3-2, and the San Francisco Giants and the Cincinnati Reds were tied 2-2 in the eighth inning when play was suspended due to rain.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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