And on Wednesday, days after being named an All-Star as both a pitcher and a forward, Otani continued his hot steak, making history again, this time achieving two historic feats.
The two-sided Japanese star eliminated 12 players from the Houston Astros in six innings and also went 2-of-4 with a two-run three in the second inning in the Los Angeles Angels’ 7-1 win at Angel Stadium.
In winning his sixth start in a row, he also broke two records set by Hall of Famer pitcher Nolan Ryan.
Otani became only the second Angels pitcher in franchise history to join Ryan in registering at least 10 strikeouts in four consecutive appearances.
He also became the first Angels starter to hit a triple since Ryan on June 27, 1972 in Minnesota.
Otani, the reigning American League MVP, is determined to reclaim the title this season.
Although he faces stiff competition from the New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge and the Houston Astros’ Jordan Alvarez, Otani’s influence on the Angels’ wins this season has been strong.
Thanks to a combination of his two-sided skills, they are on a six-game unbeaten streak in Otani’s starts, but in contrast, the team as a whole has a 12-32 record in recent weeks.
Over those six starts, Otani had an incredible 0.45 ERA as well as 58 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings.
Until last year, no player had been selected to play in the All-Star Game at the same time as a position player and a pitcher. Now, he did it twice in two years.
His Wednesday performance came in front of Astros manager Dusty Baker, who will manage the American League team for Tuesday’s All-Star Game. After that, Baker was full of praise.
