CHICAGO – Nothing seems to bother Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani at the plate. Not bad news. Not a hard-throwing, promising lefthander.
Ohtani homered for the third consecutive game after learning he will probably need Tommy John surgery, launching a three-run shot to cap the Los Angeles' four-run third inning in a 5-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Friday night.
Shut down as a pitcher because of the right elbow problem, the lefthanded-hitting DH Ohtani hit his 19th homer of the season off Carlos Rodon to break a tie with Kenji Johjima for the most long balls by a Japanese rookie in the majors. It was Ohtani's second home run this season off a lefty.
"The more at-bats I get, the more comfortable I feel, the better I see the ball," Ohtani said through a translator. "It's just seeing a lot of pitches over and over."
"He's been swinging the bat well against righties, lefties anybody in the last week," manager Mike Scioscia said.
Ohtani has four homers in his past three games. "It's pretty amazing," Angels outfielder Mike Trout said.
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