Ohtani strikes out 11 as Angels shutout Royals MORE:
Apr 21, 2023 at 11:48 PM ETANAHEIM, Calif. — Shohei Ohtani struck out the side on 12 pitches in the first inning Friday night, throwing sweepers that broke horizontally like Frisbees and punctuating them with a 98.7-mph fastball. Angels manager Phil Nevin said he had never seen an inning more dominant during his nearly three decades in the big leagues.
Ohtani has given up two runs and eight hits over 28 innings with 38 strikeouts while lowering his ERA to 0.64 — the lowest in franchise history through a pitcher's first five starts. Ohtani also extended his franchise record with his 12th consecutive start allowing two runs or fewer. After issuing a leadoff walk in the sixth, Ohtani fanned six in a row to secure his major league-best 12th double-digit strikeout game since the start of 2022.