ARLINGTON, Texas — Shohei Ohtani pitched six innings for his first victory in five starts and matched the MLB lead with his 22nd homer as the Los Angeles Angels beat the American League West-leading Texas Rangers 5-3 on Thursday night.
Ohtani (6-2) had already thrown the last of his 99 pitches before Mickey Moniak's tying homer leading off the top of the seventh against Nathan Eovaldi (9-3), who lost in his bid to become only the second 10-game winner in the majors this season.
Still in the game as the designated hitter, Ohtani hit a two-run homer in the eighth. It was a 443-foot opposite-field blast that landed in the second deck in left-center field. The homer, his 10th over the past 16 games, matched Pete Alonso for the big league lead and extended his hitting streak to 12 games.
Thursday marked the eighth time in Ohtani's career that he homered in a game where he was the starting pitcher, and the third time this season.
The Angels (39-32) won three of four in Texas, and have won nine of their last 11 overall. They are still 4½ games behind the Rangers (42-26), who have dropped six of eight.
After Angels reliever Carlos Estevez walked the bases loaded to start the ninth, Jacob Webb got his first save. He got two outs, then had a bases-loaded walk before striking out slugger Adolis Garcia to end it.
Ohtani's homer came soon after Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien, pitching coach Mike Maddux and manager Bruce Bochy were all ejected by first base umpire Ramon De Jesus.
In the bottom of the seventh, with the Rangers down 3-2 and a runner at third base with one out, Semien thought he had drawn a walk. He was heading toward first base after the full-count pitch when De Jesus instead signaled he had not held up his swing.
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