Shohei Ohtani made his pitching debut at historic Fenway Park for the Los Angeles Angels (17–10) against the Boston Red Sox (10–16) on May 5, resulting in a 8–0 victory, with 11 strike-outs in seven shutout innings.
The reigning AL MVP, Ohtani became the first pitcher to bat in one of the top four spots in a game at Fenway since Babe Ruth on Sept. 20, 1919.
“This place is special,” said Angels manager Joe Maddon on Wednesday. “This is one of the cathedrals, there’s a few of them left. Wrigley and here, by far the best ballparks in Major League baseball. Bambino pitched here.” Ohtani threw a career best 81 strikes of 99 pitches, improving his record to 3–2 for the season; his last pitch was clocked at 98 miles per hour. Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels has a laugh with teammates after their 8-0 win over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, in Boston, on May 5, 2022. (Winslow Townson/Getty Images) He gave up six hits before being relieved by Mike Mayers, and managed to blank Boston improving his ERA to 3.08. Of Ohtani’s 11 strikeouts, four came on the splitter, three on the slider, three on the fastball, and one on a curveball. Ohtani was also productive at the plate batting 2–4, with one RBI and one run. He has batted .302 with two home runs in 10 games at Fenway.
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