NEWSLETTER
Shohei Ohtani has been a superstar since coming to Major League Baseball. He is one of the game’s top hitters and quite possibly the best pitcher in the American League. His unicorn-type talents, especially on the mound, were on full display once again Tuesday night. This performance had a little more meaning though, as it helped him pass an all-time great.
Shohei Ohtani passes Nolan Ryan
Ohtani finished his evening against the Washington Nationals allowing one hit, striking out six, and giving up zero runs. That kind of pitching line has become the expected norm for him, as it marked his 10th consecutive start where he allowed two or fewer runs.
The significance behind this most recent start was that it broke a tie Ohtani held with Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan. The “Ryan Express” held the Angels’ franchise record for such outings with nine since the 1973 season. Shohei tied him last Wednesday in Seattle where he went 6.0 IP giving up just one run.
The record-breaking start pushed Ohtani to 2-0 on the year with a pretty remarkable pitching line. He’s up to 19 innings pitched with just six hits allowed. He’s struck out 24 batters and surrendered just one, yes just one run on the season.
Amazingly, Shohei has now gone 15 starts since allowing more than three runs in an outing dating back to July of last season. And he’s now allowed two or fewer runs in 25 of his last 31 games on the mound.
Ohtani will look to extend this streak to 11 next Monday in Boston in what will be a difficult outing as it is Boston Marathon day, and first pitch is slated for 8 AM PST.
