ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit two three-run homers, including a dramatic tying drive in the bottom of the ninth inning. He drove in a career-high eight runs, the most by a Japanese-born player in major league history.
And somehow, it still was not enough for his Los Angeles Angels to beat the Kansas City Royals.
Whit Merrifield led off the 11th inning with an RBI double, and the Royals overcame Ohtani’s historic performance for a 12-11 victory Tuesday night.
Ohtani crushed a 423-foot homer in the sixth and a tying, 438-foot shot in the ninth, giving him the biggest RBI game of his five-year stateside career. The AL MVP then set the single-game record for RBIs by a Japanese-born player with a sacrifice fly in the 11th inning.
Although he never complains publicly, Ohtani would be perfectly justified in feeling frustrated by his Los Angeles teammates’ tepid pitching performance behind his latest heroics. But the Royals knew they won with some remarkable hitting of their own, including landmark games for both Carlos Santana and rookie Bobby Witt Jr.
“That’s one of the most fun games I’ve ever been a part of,” said Witt, who had his first multi-homer game while driving in a career-high four runs. “Just top to bottom, there was a lot of energy going on. It was a blast. … Every time Ohtani or (Mike) Trout come up to the plate, you hold your breath a little bit out there. It’s fun to watch them play, and hopefully they don’t do as much damage as they did against us (tonight).”
Ohtani’s eighth RBI wasn’t enough, because Merrifield and Kyle Isbel both drove in runs off Jose Quijada (0-2) earlier in the 11th.
Daniel Mengden struck out Trout with two Angels on base before Ohtani’s flyout, and he retired Jared Walsh on a game-ending popup. Mengden earned his first…