Shohei Ohtani Showtime: Ties MLB Lead in Home Runs

On another fantastic day at the office, Shohei Ohtani was once again a two-way star on Thursday versus the Texas Rangers in Arlington. He was the starting and winning pitcher and added to his home run tally, now 22.

Before we forget, check out our American League, National League, interleague, and MLB props for all your baseball action.

Shohei Ohtani Ties League Lead in Home Runs

What else is new? Shohei Ohtani amazed on the mound and at the plate in his side’s 5-3 victory away to the Texas Rangers on Thursday. The win gave the Angels (39-32) a 3-1 series win over their divisional rivals and helped them cut slightly into their deficit, reducing the number of games by which they trail Texas to 4.5. Not bad at all.

But as for our purposes, and how betters may want to pay attention to what Ohtani is accomplishing this season, his efforts on the mound were excellent. He earned the win, improving his record to 6-2. Ohtani lasted a full six innings, struck out three batters and only earned two runs. The Japanese native’s ERA is a very commendable 3.29 on the season.

Furthermore, he belted his 22^nd home run of the season in the top of the eighth inning. Ohtani went to town on the Rangers throughout the series, smashing four balls out of the park, helping him tie the MLB lead in homers with New York Mets’ player Pete Alonso.

The Angels now spend the weekend in Kansas City to play the Royals, a club that has struggled all season and constantly ranks towards the bottom of Sports Interaction’s MLB Power Rankings. While Ohtani won’t be sent to the mound, he will have plenty of opportunities to improve his .301 batting average and home run count.