ANAHEIM (AP) — Shohei Ohtani homered for the fourth time in five games and matched his high for homers in a season as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Detroit Tigers 8-3 Saturday night.
Ohtani, who announced Friday that he would participate in next month’s All-Star Home Run Derby, has 22 homers and is tied for second-most in the majors with San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr. They are one behind Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
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Ohtani’s two-run shot to left field off Wily Peralta (0-1) matched his total from 2018, when he won AL Rookie of the Year honors. That season, Ohtani hit 22 homers in 104 games and 367 plate appearances. This season, he reached the mark in his 66th game and 264th at-bat.
It is the first time in four major league seasons that Ohtani has homered five times in four games. However, he did have four in three straight games in September 2018.
Ohtani’s homer was part of a four-run third inning by the Angels, who have won six straight home games. Jared Walsh also went deep in the inning , hitting a two-run drive to right field that put Los Angeles up 5-0.
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Patrick Sandoval (2-2) struck out nine in 5 2/3 innings. The left-hander, who didn’t get his first major league victory as a starter until his 20th start last Sunday at Arizona, has won two straight.
Daz Cameron had two hits, including a fourth-inning home run, and drove in two runs for Detroit, which has dropped three straight. Jonathan Schoop also had a solo shot in the fifth.
Peralta was making his first start since he was with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2017. The right-hander allowed five runs on seven hits in five innings and struck out two.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
