Angels' Shohei Ohtani hits 22nd home run, pitches six innings in victory over Rangers

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Maybe Shohei Ohtani was just a bit tired, as manager Phil Nevin joked, when the two-way star took his last big swing for the Los Angeles Angels and matched the MLB lead with his 22nd homer — and fourth in their series-clinching victory over AL West-leading Texas.

After Ohtani threw six innings to get his first victory in his last five starts, he hit another second-deck homer the opposite way, though this two-run blast in the eighth went "only" 443 feet as the Angels won 5-3 on Thursday night to take three of four games.

"Gutsy six innings, two runs against a really, really good lineup. Thought he threw the ball great," Nevin said. "Let’s talk about the hitting, too. Yeah, that was nice. ... Just an unreal series.

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Los Angeles Angels Shohei Ohtani runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run in the eighth inning in a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Thursday, June 15, 2023, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez)

"What this game's meant for a lot of us here, nice to see him on a big stage do stuff like that."

Ohtani's 10th homer in his past 16 games, and the second pitching start in a row when he also went deep, matched Pete Alonso for the big league lead and extended his hitting streak to 12 games. The left-handed hitter also went into the upper deck to the left of center in the series opener Monday and again Wednesday — those going 459 and 453 feet. His second homer in Monday's game, a 388-foot drive that just cleared the left-field wall, came on the first pitch of the 12th inning.

"Obviously a huge win, they’re in first place, and I think all the boys