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Shohei Ohtani’s dominance has become almost normal, and yet he often finds a new way to make history. Wednesday was another one of those nights when Ohtani once again put himself in class.
The Los Angeles Angels two-way star went seven innings in a 5-2 win over the Miami Marlins, allowing two hits and not giving up an earned run. At the plate, he delivered a two-run single in the fifth to give the Angels the lead for good. And on the basepaths, he recorded his 10th stolen base.
Since RBI became an official stat in 1920, Ohtani is the first player to hit 10 hits, drive in two runs and steal a base in the same game, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Shohei Ohtani is the first player since RBI became official in 1920 to do all of the below in one game:
– 10 hits as a pitcher – 2 RBI as a batter – stolen base pic.twitter.com/GXmuoaGptt
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 7, 2022
Ohtani is in the midst of a remarkable stretch, even by his standards. He has gone 28⅔ consecutive innings without allowing an earned run dating back to the fifth inning of a June 9 start against Boston and has won five straight starts. He is also one of six pitchers since 1913 (including Clayton Kershaw twice) to have four scoreless starts and 40 strikeouts.
Of course, none of those pitchers hit like Ohtani. Since that June 9 start against the Red Sox, he’s batting .305 with a .398 on-base percentage and .634 slugging percentage — making his 1.032 on-base plus hits nearly triple the measly .364 opponents have hit against him.
From the archives: Shohei Ohtani is the star baseball never knew it needed
On the mound, Ohtani continued his unblemished record despite a slow start on Wednesday. The Marlins scratched the first inning on a throwing error, a double and a sacrifice fly. They added a walk and a single in the second. But Ohtani then retired the next 13 batters, striking out eight of them as the Angels built a 5-1 lead.
Over the past four weeks, Ohtani has raised his OPS from .765 to .839 and lowered his ERA from 3.99 to 2.44.
While Ohtani’s night was historic, he has recorded other similar performances this year in the encore of his American League MVP season. Last month, he pitched eight scoreless innings one day after hitting two three-run homers. And on May 5 at Fenway Park, Ohtani pitched seven scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts and also hit 109 mph off the Green Monster.
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