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Shohei Ohtani throws 11 strikeouts, Angels defeat Red Sox 8-0

The Los Angeles Angels beat the Boston Red Sox 8-0 on Thursday thanks to Shohei Ohtani’s 11 strikeouts in seven shutout innings. Ohtani also had two hits and a run batted in, one of which hit the Green Monster in the speed 109 mph that it smashed his No. 17’s pitcher’s slot on the manual scoreboard.

Shohei Ohtani’s two-way performance at Fenway Park was the best since Babe Ruth’s, throwing a career-high 81 of his 99 pitches for strikes.

“I hope you don’t start taking that for granted. Like it’s old hat,” Angels manager Joe Maddon said of Ohtani’s skills. “It’s just so unusual. It’s otherworldly, on this level of this game.”

In the fourth, Ohtani smacked a 389-foot single that came up just short of a home run. He singled off the left-field wall in the eighth inning to bring in one run and then scored as the Angels converted a 2-0 game into a rout.

“It’s one of my favorite ballparks,” said Ohtani, who has batted .302 with two homers in 10 games at Fenway. “I was looking forward to pitching here.”

Ohtani’s start was delayed two days due to groin stiffness and occurred around 14 hours after the Angels scored six runs in the tenth inning to defeat the Red Sox 10-5. Ohtani walked in the ninth inning as the designated hitter and walked and scored in the tenth.

“To be honest, I was pretty fatigued,” he said. “My body was pretty tired. I tried to get to sleep as early as possible and get enough sleep and rest. I think I was able to do that.”

Other players’ performance

There were no runs in the game until Jared Walsh hit a two-run homer to break the tie. To chase Tanner Houck (2-2), Anthony Rendon hit an RBI single, and Walsh added a two-run dribbler through the shifting infield to make it 7-0.

On five hits and a walk, Houck gave up seven runs and struck out four in two-thirds of an inning.

During the ninth, Brandon Marsh hit a one-run home run for the team.

There were six hits and no walks in all for Ohtani. He also threw a wild pitch that let Rafael Devers get on base after he struck out in the first.

When Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a lead-off double in the fifth, Ohtani gave up the hit. There were two outs in the sixth, and JD Martinez hit a double with one out. Franchy Cordero’s fly ball was caught by Andrew Velazquez, and the inning was over.

Ohtani’s history

Fenway Park hasn’t had a pitcher who batted in the top four of the order since Ruth, who hit for the Red Sox in the first game of a doubleheader on September 20, 1919. Ohtani was the first pitcher to do this since Ruth.

After Roger Clemens hit a home run there in 1996, Ohtani became the first starting pitcher to get a hit there since then. Starters Ohtani and Clemens are the only two pitchers who have hit a home run at Fenway Park in the time of the designated hitter.

Shohei Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani , nicknamed “Shotime”, is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher, designated hitter and outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball . (wikipedia)

Los Angeles Angels

The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. (wikipedia)

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Harry James
Harry James' love for sports began in his high school basketball days. Sadly, an injury meant he couldn't further his NBA dreams, but the hooper's loss is our gain as he then found journalism.

Harry James' love for sports began in his high school basketball days. Sadly, an injury meant he couldn't further his NBA dreams, but the hooper's loss is our gain as he then found journalism.

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