OAKLAND ATHLETICS NOTES:
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LOS ANGELES ANGELS NOTES:
LEADING OFF: Today, the Angels play the seventh (4-2) and final game on a homestand against the Kansas City Royals (2-1) and Oakland Athletics (2-1; April 24-27)…Halos went 2-5 on last road trip against the Boston Red Sox (1-3) and New York Yankees (1-2)…LAA was 3-3 on opening homestand of the year vs. Toronto (1-2) and Washington (2-1).
VS. OAKLAND: Angels lead the 2023 season series vs. Oakland 4-2…Halos won two of three in the opening series of the regular season at the Coliseum and have won two of the first three games of the current series at The Big A…The teams will meet a total of 13 times this season…Last year, LAA won season series 12-7.
MOST CAREER HOME RUNS VS. OAKLAND ATHLETICS
(since A’s moved to Oakland in 1968)
T1. Rafael Palmeiro – 43
T1. Alex Rodriguez – 43
- Mike Trout – 42
T3. Adrian Beltre – 41 - Dwight Evans – 39
WINS AND LOSSES: With a 13-12 record, Halos are back above .500 for the first time since April 18 (9-8)…LAA has been exactly .500 eight times this season (1-1, 5-5, 7-7, 8-8, 9-9, 10-10, 11-11 and 12-12)…Halos have held leads in 22 of 25 games played this year and have
scored first in 14 of the 25 games.
ANOTHER NEW RECORD FOR SHOHEI: Shohei Ohtani has held opponents to an .092 (8/87) average this season…According to ELIAS, it’s the lowest batting average in a pitcher’s first five games of a season (min. 20 IP) since the mound was moved to its current istance in 1893.
OHTANI EXPRESS: Shohei Ohtani has a franchise record streak of 12 consecutive pitching starts allowing two-or-fewer runs (Nolan Ryan held the previous record with a nine game streak across the 1972-73 seasons)…Ohtani’s 12-game streak is also the longest active streak in the Majors.
LEAGUE LEADER: Shohei Ohtani leads the Majors in opponent batting average (.092), ranks second in ERA (0.64), is sixth in strikeouts (38) and seventh in WHIP (0.82).
RECENT TRANSACTIONS: Yesterday, the Angels recalled RHP Chase Silseth from Triple-A Salt Lake…The former Arizona Wildcat was 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA (20 IP – 2 ER) and 20 strikeouts in four starts for the Bees this year…In a corresponding move, RHP Austin Warren (right elbow inflammation) was placed on the 15-day injured list (retro to April 24).
NET-OW: Zack Neto has been hit by six pitches this season, which is third-most in MLB this year…His six HBP through his first 10 games tied for the most in MLB history, with Ed Fitzpatrick for the 1915 Boston Braves…Neto also was the first player in Angels history to be hit a pitch in four consecutive games (April 18-21).
MOST CONSECUTIVE SCORELESS INNINGS
AT ANGEL STADIUM
(Elias)
Pitcher Team Year(s) IP
- Mark Clear Angels 1979 36.2
- Nolan Ryan Angels 1972 33.0
T3. Mike Cuellar Orioles 1969-70 32.0
T3. Shohei Ohtani Angels 2022-23 (active) 32.0
ALL OVER THE INFIELD: Gio Urshela is one of four players in the Majors to appear at all four infield positions this season…He has totaled nine games at third base, eight games at first base, six games at shortstop and one game at second base…Oakland’s Aledmys Diaz, Cleveland’s Gabriel Arias and St. Louis’ Brendan Donovan are the only other players to play all four infield positions this year.
GRAND THEFT: Monday night, Taylor Ward robbed Shea Langeliers of a grand slam in the 9th inning…According to Sports Info Solutions, it was the Angels second grand slam robbery since 2004 (when HR-robbing catches began being tracked)…The previous one was by Mike Trout on Aug. 7, 2016 at Seattle (Leonys Martin).
TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – RHP SHOHEI OHTANI
3-0, 0.64 ERA
Has allowed two-or-fewer runs in each of last 12 starts (Angels record)
• SHO TIME: Making sixth pitching start of the year and third at home…Second start of 2023 vs. Oakland…Is in sixth Major League season with LAA.
• OFF THE BOARDS: Has allowed two-or-fewer runs in each of his last 12 pitching starts, which is a new franchise record (Nolan Ryan had a nine game streak across the 1972-73 seasons)…Overall, has yielded two-or-fewer runs in 21 of last 24 starts and one-or-fewer runs in 18 of last 24 starts.
• CAN’T HIT THIS: Enters today’s game with streak of nine straight pitching starts allowing three-or-fewer hits (since Sept. 17, 2022)…Since 1901, only Jacob deGrom (10 game streak for Mets in 2021) has had a longer streak.
• SCORELESS AT THE BIG A: Has an active streak of 32.0 consecutive scoreless innings pitched at Angel Stadium…The ballpark record for longest scoreless streak at home is 36.2 IP by Mark Clear in 1979.
• LAST TIME ON THE MOUND: Earned the win in last start on Friday vs. Kansas City after tossing 7.0 scoreless innings and allowing two hits and two walks with 11 strikeouts..Started on three days rest for first time in career, after being removed from preceding start on April 17 after 2.0 innings following a rain delay at Boston.
• VS. OAKLAND: In 11 career games vs. A’s, is 4-4 with a 2.26 ERA (63.2 IP – 16 ER)…Pitched 6.0 scoreless innings earlier this year vs. A’s on Opening Day…Last season, was 2-2 with a 1.09 ERA (24.2 IP – 3 ER) and 28 strikeouts in four starts…Came within four outs of a no-hitter in start vs. A’s on Sept. 29, 2022 at Angel Stadium…On Apr. 8, 2018 vs. A’s at Angel Stadium, carried a perfect game into the 7th inning (W; 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 12 SO).
• AT ANGEL STADIUM: In 35 career starts at The Big A, is 17-5 with a 1.89 ERA (210 IP – 44 ER) and 269 strikeouts…This season, is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA (14 IP – 0 ER) and 17 strikeouts after two starts…In 14 starts last season, was 7-4 with a 1.82 ERA (89 IP – 18 ER)…In 2021, went 6-0 with a 1.95 ERA (78.1 IP – 17 ER) and 93 strikeouts after 13 home starts.
• HOME SWEET HOME: Has a career 1.89 ERA (210 IP – 44 ER) in home games, which is the second lowest total of the last 100 years (min. 30 GS)…Only Miami’s José Fernández (1.49 ERA; 272.1 IP – 45 ER) has a lower home ERA.
• OPENING DAY STARTER: Was Angels Opening Day starter for second consecutive season…Also made two Opening Day pitching starts in Japan for Nippon-Ham Fighters…Became first Angels pitcher to start consecutive Opening Days since Jered Weaver (2010-15)…Became fourth pitcher in Angels history with 10+ strikeouts on Opening Day, joining Nolan Ryan (12 SO; 1973 & 1975), Andy Messersmith (11 SO; 1970) and Jered Weaver (10 SO; 2012).
• 10 K: Has two starts this season with 10+ strikeouts…Recorded 10+ strikeouts in 10 starts last season, which was the most such games in the A.L.; joined Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers in franchise history with 10+ strikeouts in at least six consecutive games.
• WBC MVP: Named Most Valuable Player of the 2023 World Baseball Classic…Made three pitching appearances (two starts) for Japan, going 2-0 with a 1.86 ERA and 11 strikeouts and earned the save in the Championship Game against the United States…Marked first relief appearance since October 16, 2016 in Game 5 of the Final Stage of the 2016 Pacific League Climax Series for Fighters.
• ONE AND ONLY: Last season, became only player to ever qualify for the league leaders as both a hitter and a pitcher in one season…Was the first A.L/N.L. player since Babe Ruth (1918) with 10+ wins and 10+ HR in the same season and the only player in MLB history with 10+ wins & 30 + HR.
• 2022 ON THE MOUND: Was the runner-up in 2022 A.L. MVP voting after winning the award in 2021…Finished 2022 with a 15-9 record, a 2.33 ERA (166 IP – 43 ER) and 219 strikeouts in 28 pitching starts, while holding opponents to a .203 average (124/610)…Led A.L. with an 11.87 SO/9 innings rate…Allowed two-or-fewer runs in 22 of 28 starts…Ranked among league leaders in strikeouts (219; 3rd), whiff% (33.0%; 4th), ERA (2.33; 4th), wins (15; T4th), WHIP (1.01; 5th) and opponent batting average (.203; 6th).
• 200K: Was the first Angels pitcher to reach 200 strikeouts since Jered Weaver in 2010 and the only player in MLB history with 200+ pitching strikeouts and 8+ home runs in one season.
• M V P: Was unanimously named the 2021 American League Most Valuable Player…Marked Angels sixth MVP award in franchise history, following Don Baylor (1979), Vladimir Guerrero (2004) and Mike Trout (2014, 2016 & 2019)…He is the second Japanese-born player to receive MVP honors in the Major Leagues, joining Ichiro Suzuki (2001).
• JAPANESE HALOS: Is one of five Japanese-born players to play for Angels, along with Shigetoshi Hasegawa, Hideki Matsui, Hisanori Takahashi and Junichi Tazawa.
• PITCHING CAREER IN JAPAN: In 85 career games (82 starts) as a pitcher for Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japanese Pacific League, went 42-15 with a 2.52 ERA (543 IP – 152 ER) and 624 strikeouts.
• THE OHTANI RULE: In the event the starting pitcher will bat for himself, the player will be considered two separate people…If the starting pitcher is replaced, he can continue as the Designated Hitter, and if the Designated Hitter is replaced, he can continue as the pitcher (but can no longer hit for himself)…Was the Angels DH in all of his pitching starts in 2022.
• MLB CAREER NOTES: Signed with Angels as international free agent, Dec. 10, 2017…Made Major League debut as a DH on March 29, 2018 at Oakland and had first start as a pitcher on April 1, 2018 at Oakland…Named the 2018 American League Rookie of the Year and unanimous 2021 American League Most Valuable Player…First MLB player to ever be selected to the All-Star Game as both a pitcher and position player (2021 & 2022)
