ANAHEIM, Calif. — Shohei Ohtani pitched seven scoreless innings, drove in one run and scored another as the Los Angeles Angels beat Seattle 2-1 Saturday night, dropping the Mariners in the wild-card standings.
The Angels' second straight victory against the Mariners came on the back of Ohtani, their two-way star who is in the midst of an MVP chase with the New York Yankees' Aaron Judge.
Ohtani reached base twice in three at-bats, drove in his 89th run and lowered his ERA to 2.43 in 148 total innings. «I've said it before: He's the most valuable player of our game right now,» said Angels interim manager Phil Nevin, who has a unique view on the MVP chase as a former Yankees coach. «Until somebody can come in and do the things he does on both sides, I don't see it going any other way.
I love Aaron Judge like a son, but I'll continue to say it: [Ohtani] can take over a baseball game like nobody can.» One day after the teams combined to hit seven home runs, Ohtani and Mariners starter George Kirby did not allow a long ball.