The legend of Shohei Ohtani continues to grow in 2022. The Angels phenom made MLB history on Wednesday night against the Kansas City Royals. Ohtani became the first player in history to have consecutive games where he struck out at least ten batters and collected eight or more RBIs.
The Japanese sensation had a career-high 13 strikeouts in a 5-0 win against the Royals on Wednesday just a day after driving in 8 RBIs in a loss on Tuesday. He only allowed two hits and a walk on Wednesday and didn’t allow a single run on his historic night. The feat only took him 108 pitches with 71 strikes in a stunning display. He also had a walk and a single, contributing offensively as well as on defense.
The only other player to record at least eight RBI and at least ten strikeouts in a game or career was Atlanta Braves pitcher Tony Cloning who accomplished the feat over 50 years ago in 1966.
Ohtani is not new to making history. Since breaking on to the scene in 2018, he has been tearing up major league records. He earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2019 with 22 homers and 63 strikeouts, but that was just the beginning for Ohtani. In 2021, he earned atrip to his first All-Star game and won the Silver Slugger Award as well as AL MVP honors. In his five-year career, he had already collected 292 RBI and 108 homers while batting .264. On the mound, he has a career 19-9 record with a 3.36 ERA and 312 career strikeouts. He has only allowed 192 hits throughout 252 innings pitched.
The Angels are finding form again after a mid-season slump. They currently sit at 34-38 following their victory over the Royals. They will face off against the Mariners this weekend in a three-game series.
