Angels Stat of the Day: May 2021
MLB.com is keeping track of a Stat of the Day for the Angels this season, highlighting a unique, interesting or fun nugget from each game.
May 31: Giants 6, Angels 1 -- Trouble with the long ball
Dylan Bundy allowed three home runs to the Giants. The last time he allowed three or more home runs in a game was on April 11, 2019, as a member of the Orioles, when he surrendered four to the A’s.
May 30: Angels 4, A's 2 -- Wong, Suzuki make history
Catcher Kurt Suzuki and second baseman Kean Wong both started for the Angels against the A's on Sunday, marking the fourth team to have two native-born Hawaiians in the same lineup. The others were the 2012 A’s with Suzuki and Kila Ka’aihue and the 2010-11 Phillies with Dane Sardinha and Shane Victorino.
May 29: Angels 4, A's 0 -- Cobb has the A's number
Alex Cobb is probably glad he pitches in the American League West now, because that means he can face the A’s more often. In 11 career starts against Oakland, Cobb has compiled a 1.96 ERA with 58 punchouts, including Saturday’s sterling effort in which he tallied eight strikeouts in seven scoreless innings. That ERA is his lowest mark against any opponent in the AL.
May 28: A's 3, Angels 1 -- Ohtani ties his own record
Two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani struck out five batters through six-plus solid innings against the A's on Friday, giving him 50 strikeouts on the season. It marked just the second time in Major League history that a player reached 50 strikeouts while also hitting at least 10 homers at the plate and Ohtani is the only player to ever do it, as he also accomplished the feat in 2018.
May 27: A's 5, Angels 0 -- W still elusive for Sandoval
Lefty Patrick Sandoval pitched well against the A's on Thursday, throwing five scoreless innings, but couldn't pick up the win. It was his 18th straight start without a victory, which set a club record, breaking Andy Hassler's previous record of 17 straight starts without a win from 1975-76.
May 26: Angels 9, Rangers 8 -- Justin Upton's 2nd leadoff HR
Los Angeles slugger Justin Upton smacked a leadoff homer against Texas on Wednesday, giving him leadoff blasts in consecutive games. He became the first Angels player with a leadoff homer in back-to-back games since Mike Trout, from Sept. 8-9, 2012.
May 25: Angels 11, Rangers 5 -- 117 mph laser Sho
Two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani crushed his 15th homer of the year with a three-run blast down the right-field line against the Rangers as part of a six-run fourth inning. It had an exit velocity of 117 mph, making it the hardest-hit homer by an Angels player since Statcast was introduced in 2015, and the sixth-hardest big fly in the Majors this year.
May 23: Angels 6, A's 5 -- A first for Upton
Angels left fielder Justin Upton made his first career appearance as a leadoff hitter against the A's on Sunday in his 1,778th career game. The last player to hit leadoff for the first time with more career games played was Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez in his 1,984th game on Aug. 16, 2006, with the Tigers.
May 22: A's 6, Angels 2 -- More extra bases for Shohei
Two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani doubled and tripled against the A's, giving him 28 extra-base hits through his first 43 games this season. It's the third-most extra-base hits through 43 games in Angels history, trailing Mike Trout's 30 in 2017 and Troy Glaus' 29 in 2000.
May 21: A's 8, Angels 4 -- Career first for rookie
Rookie right fielder Jose Rojas recorded the first two outfield assists of his career, starting a 9-4-2 relay to get Matt Olson at the plate in the third and throwing out Mark Canha at home as he tried to score on a single. It was the first time an Angels outfielder had two assists in one game since Justin Upton on April 18, 2018, against Boston.
May 20: Twins 6, Angels 3 (G2) -- Claudio stellar with the glove
Left-handed reliever Alex Claudio recorded an out on an Andrelton Simmons liner back through the middle on Thursday, in what was Claudio's 330th career appearance. The lefty has never committed an error, as those quick reflexes served him well once again. There are only four pitchers all-time that have played more games than Claudio and have never committed an error. Those pitchers are: Luis Vizcaino (543 games), Héctor Rondón (444 games), Will Ohman (483 games) and Cory Gearrin (337 games).
May 19: Indians 3, Angels 2 -- Ohtani's velocity down
Two-way star Shohei Ohtani came into his start against the Indians with his fastball averaging 96.6 mph but it averaged just 91.3 mph on Wednesday. It was a drop in average velocity by more than five mph, but he still turned in a solid outing, allowing two runs over 4 2/3 innings.
May 18: Indians 6, Angels 5 -- Ohtani in exclusive company
Shohei Ohtani launched his 14th home run of the season, extending his lead atop the MLB leaderboard. The 14 homers also tie him for the 3rd most dingers in the first 40 games in a season for an Angels player. He sits behind Mike Trout (16 in 2020) and Wally Joyner (15 in 1986).
May 17: Angels 7, Indians 4 -- Shohei channels Fletch
Angels fans are used to seeing David Fletcher go up out of the strike zone for hits, but on Monday it was two-way star Shohei Ohtani's turn. Ohtani crushed a homer on a high fastball from lefty Sam Hentges that was 4.19 feet off the ground. It was the highest pitch hit for a homer by an Angels player in the pitch-tracking era going back to 2008, and the second-highest this season behind Minnesota's Willians Astudillo, who homered on a pitch 4.24 feet above the ground.
May 16: Angels 6, Red Sox 5 -- Never too late
Two-way star Shohei Ohtani smacked a go-ahead two-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning to lift the Angels to a win at Fenway Park. It was the first go-ahead homer by a Halos player with the team down to its last out since Hank Conger on Aug. 31, 2013, against the Brewers.
May 15: Red Sox 9, Angels 0 -- Not Bundy's best
Angels right-hander Dylan Bundy allowed seven earned runs, which tied a career worst and is the most he's allowed since he joined the club last season. It was the eighth time in his career he's allowed seven runs and the first time since July 12, 2019.
May 14: Red Sox 4, Angels 3 -- Another good night for Ohtani
With a homer and a double against the Red Sox on Friday, two-way star Shohei Ohtani recorded his Major League-leading sixth game with multiple extra-base hits. His 23 extra-base hits in 35 games this season is the second-highest total in club history to start a season, behind only Mike Trout with 24 in 35 games in 2017.
May 12: Astros 9, Angels 1 -- Ohtani leads off
Shohei Ohtani became the first player since 1916 to start a game as a pitcher and lead off as a hitter in the following game. Ohtani went 0-for-4 at the plate in his first game as the leadoff hitter this season, while striking out twice.
May 11: Astros 5, Angels 1 -- More firsts for Ohtani
Two-way star Shohei Ohtani entered his start against the Astros while tied for the Major League lead with 10 homers, marking the second time he'd accomplished the feat this season. He became the first player to make multiple starts in a season while also leading the Majors in homers since Babe Ruth in 1919. He also became the first starting pitcher to ever hit for himself in three different games where a designated hitter was available.
May 10: Angels 5, Astros 4 -- Walsh's big night at the plate
First baseman Jared Walsh went 4-for-4 with a homer, a double and a walk against the Astros on Monday, for his second career four-hit game. Impressively, it's his second this month, as he also had four hits against the Mariners on May 1.
May 9: Angels 2, Dodgers 1 -- Q walks a handful
José Quintana held the Dodgers to just one run in his four-plus innings, but the lefty walked five batters, the most Quintana has surrendered in a game since April 15, 2017, while with the White Sox against the Twins.
May 8: Dodgers 14, Angels 11 -- Angels' big frame
In the near 13-run comeback, the Angels were aided by a seven-run seventh inning, highlighted by the first career home run from Jose Rojas. The seven-run inning was the Angels' first since Sept. 21, 2020, vs. Texas
May 7: Angels 9, Dodgers 2 -- Fletcher's big night
Looking to break a five-game losing streak, the Angels' offense stepped up with some help from David Fletcher. Fletcher went 3-for-5 with three RBIs in the win over the Dodgers. The three-hit, three-RBI performance was just the second of Fletcher's career. His last such game came against the Orioles on July 27, 2019.
May 6: Rays 8, Angels 3 -- Heaney opens with six strikes
Lefty starter Andrew Heaney had the strikeout pitch working as he set down 10 Rays batters in 6 2/3 innings and he did so out of the gate. The first six outs for Heaney came via the punchout, making him the fourth Angels pitcher to get the first six outs in a game on strikeouts. He is the first to do so since JC Ramirez on June 18, 2017, against the Royals. He joins Ervin Santana (July 3, 2007) and Bartolo Colon (July 27, 2004) as the only other pitchers to achieve this.
May 5: Rays 3, Angels 1 -- Rojas doubles up
Rookie and Anaheim native Jose Rojas had trouble hitting at Angel Stadium prior to Wednesday night's game. He had gone hitless at home this season before his two-hit night against the Rays, which included a double that put him in the club's history books. With the double, Rojas became the third player in franchise history to have six or more doubles through their first 19 career games. He joined Carney Lansford (7) and Howie Kendrick (6) as the only Halos to do so.
May 4: Rays 8, Angels 3 -- Undesirable error history made
The Angels committed four errors in their loss to the Rays, marking the first time they've had that many errors in a single game since Sept. 1, 2018, against the Astros.
May 3: Rays 7, Angels 3 -- Quintana's swing-and-miss stuff
Angels starting pitcher José Quintana generated 22 whiffs overall and 17 with his curveball, both season highs. The left-hander's nine strikeouts against Tampa Bay were also a season high.
May 2: Mariners 2, Angels 0 -- Shohei, Babe link again!
Two-way star Shohei Ohtani stole multiple bases for the first time in his career, giving him six on the season. The only players with at least eight homers, six stolen bases and three starts on the mound since 1900 are Babe Ruth (1918 and '19) and Ohtani (2018 and '21).
May 1: Angels 10, Mariners 5 -- Walsh's rare 1-2 punch
Angels slugger Jared Walsh homered in both the first and second innings against the Mariners, becoming just the fourth Angels player with at least two homers in the first two innings of a game. He joined Albert Pujols (Sept. 3, 2016), Leon Wagner (May 1, 1962) and Ted Kluszewski (April 11, 1961).