While the stakes weren’t quite the same as their famous battle in the 2023 World Baseball Classic final, Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout were back to giving baseball fans a couple of fun moments during Tuesday night’s Dodgers-Angels exhibition game at Dodger Stadium.
Trout dug into the batter’s box and flashed a smile toward his former Angels teammate during the first inning. Ohtani responded with a big -- but brief -- smile back. The Dodgers superstar immediately shifted to a straight-faced staredown, and he did what he’s done often when facing Trout: struck him out.
Similar to the WBC matchup, Trout worked a full count, but Ohtani this time chose a 97.3 mph fastball at the top edge of the strike zone instead of an outside sweeper. Trout could not hold up on a check swing.
Ohtani allowed three runs in four innings in his final tune-up of the spring, but he impressively struck out batters, including six in a row at one point. The performance should give the Dodgers and their fans hope that the four-time MVP is ready for a full -- and needed -- workload on the mound in 2026.
Trout was once again a strikeout victim against Ohtani in the third inning. An 87.3 mph splitter dove inside on Trout, and he fouled it off of his own back foot. Ohtani displayed some concern for Trout, putting his hands over his head with a grimace, but Trout finished the plate appearance. An Ohtani sweeper, almost to the same spot as the WBC strikeout, induced another swing and miss.
Trout and the Angels got the last laugh Tuesday, though, as they defeated the Dodgers, 3-0.
Ohtani has pitched against the Angels just once in the regular season since joining the Dodgers, completing 4 1/3 innings while allowing four runs with seven strikeouts on Aug. 13, 2025. Trout, a three-time MVP himself, struck out looking both times he faced Ohtani.
The Dodgers and Angels face off at Angel Stadium for a three-game series starting on May 15 and another three-game set at Dodger Stadium starting June 5. We’ll certainly be keeping our eyes peeled for more of these interactions between two of the game’s biggest stars.