Another day but the same story for record-setting Shohei Ohtani, who fuelled the Los Angeles Angels' 8-7 walk-off win over the Baltimore Orioles in MLB on Friday.
Ohtani hit two homers and scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Angels overcame the Orioles at Angel Stadium.
The two-way Angels star took his tally to an MLB-best 30 homers in 2021 thanks to home runs in the third and fourth innings.
According to Stats Perform, Ohtani became the first player in American League (AL) history to reach 30 home runs and 10 stolen bases in his team's first 81 games of the season. The only National League (NL) players to achieve the feat are Sammy Sosa (1998) and Albert Pujols (2009).
Ohtani also earned the franchise record for the most homers before the All-Star break, surpassing Mike Trout's 2018 record of 28.
Dodgers extend streak, Manoah masters Rays
World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers won their seventh consecutive game by downing the Washington Nationals 10-5.
Alek Manoah set a Toronto Blue Jays record in their 11-1 demolition of the Tampa Bay Rays. The rookie pitcher made history with seven consecutive strikeouts in a game, according to Stats Perform. Manoah – back from a five-game ban – struck out a career-high 10 batters over seven scoreless innings of three-hit ball. George Springer, Marcus Semien and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. all homered for the Blue Jays.
Willy Adames homered as the Milwaukee Brewers emerged 7-2 victors against the Pittsburgh Pirates for their 10th successive win.
Lopez ejected in Marlins loss
Miami Marlins right hander Pablo Lopez was ejected after his first pitch hit All-Star Ronald Acuna Jr. in a 1-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves. In a long-running history, Marlins manager Don Mattingly and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. were also ejected.
The slumping Chicago Cubs tasted a seventh straight defeat after losing 2-1 at the Cincinnati Reds.
Phillips makes his first appearance on the mound
In a lopsided defeat, the Rays did manage to provide a highlight after outfielder Brett Phillips pitched. With Tampa Bay trailing by nine runs ahead of the bottom of the eighth inning, Phillips was sent to the mound for the first time in his professional career. In an inning, the 27-year-old allowed two hits, a run and two walks.
Friday's results
Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Dodgers 10-5 Washington Nationals
Milwaukee Brewers 7-2 Pittsburgh Pirates
Toronto Blue Jays 11-1 Tampa Bay Rays
Chicago White Sox 8-2 Detroit Tigers
Cincinnati Reds 2-1 Chicago Cubs
Houston Astros 6-3 Cleveland Indians
Atlanta Braves 1-0 Miami Marlins
Kansas City Royals 7-4 Minnesota Twins
St Louis Cardinals 9-3 Colorado Rockies
Boston Red Sox 3-2 Oakland Athletics
Los Angeles Angels 8-7 Baltimore Orioles
San Francisco Giants 11-4 Arizona Diamondbacks
Seattle Mariners 5-4 Texas Rangers
New York Mets-New York Yankees (postponed)
Mets at Yankees
After the opening was rained out, the Subway Series will get underway between the Mets (41-36) and Yankees (41-39) on Saturday. Taijuan Walker is the starter for the Mets, while the Yankees send Jordan Montgomery to the mound.
Mets’ Alonso to IL with sprained wrist, out 3-to-4 weeks
The New York Mets will be without first baseman and Major League home run leader Pete Alonso for the next few weeks due to a wrist injury.
Alonso was placed on the injured list Friday with a sprained left wrist and bone bruise. He will be re-evaluated in three or four weeks.
Alonso suffered the injury when he was hit by a 97-mph fastball during Wednesday's game against the Atlanta Braves.
While X-rays showed no fractures, further testing revealed the injuries that will keep the Mets’ best slugger out for the next month.
The Mets entered play Friday with a 30-33 record and in fourth place in the National League East. They will now be without Alonso, who leads the majors with 22 home runs this season.
The news of Alonso’s absence comes while the Mets are mired in a season-long six-game losing streak.
The Mets called up infielder Luis Guillorme to take Alonso’s roster spot, while duties at first base are expected to be handled by Mark Vientos and Mark Canha.
Alonso is batting .231 this season with an .872 OPS, while his 49 RBIs are the most in the NL.
Since he made his debut in 2019, Alonso has hit 168 home runs and driven in 429 runs, both MLB highs over that span.
Astros place MLB RBI leader Yordan Alvarez on injured list
The Houston Astros will be without one of baseball's best hitters for the foreseeable future after placing slugger Yordan Alvarez on the 10-day injured list with right oblique discomfort.
The Astros announced the move on Friday and said Alvarez will head back to Houston for further evaluation.
A timetable for a return won't be made until after he's evaluated, though Astros second baseman Jose Altuve suffered a mild oblique injury while swinging a bat on June 2 and ended up missing only four games.
It's possible Houston believes Alvarez's injury is more serious, however, seeing as the team already placed him on the injured list. The recovery time for oblique strains is typically four-to-six weeks.
Alvarez exited Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays after experiencing discomfort in his right oblique during his at-bat in the first inning.
He said he initially felt soreness in the oblique on his final swing in the batting cage before the game.
Alvarez ended up grounding out on his first-inning at-bat, ending a 19-game on-base streak in which he slashed .246/.383/.646 with eight home runs, 16 RBIs and 18 runs.
Alvarez leads the majors with 55 RBIs and his 17 home runs trail only New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge's 19 for the most in the AL.
Since the start of the 2021 season, Alvarez's 87 home runs are seventh in MLB.
The 25-year-old won the AL Rookie of the Year in 2019 and made his first All-Star Game last season after hitting 37 home runs - the most ever by a left-handed hitter in Houston franchise history.
Thursday's setback was the third straight loss for the Astros, dropping them to 36-27 - five games behind the first-place Texas Rangers in the AL West.
Yankees slugger Judge goes back on injured list
The New York Yankees will be without slugger Aaron Judge for at least the next 10 days, with the superstar going back on the injured list with a contusion and sprained ligament in his right big toe.
An MRI on Tuesday showed Judge has no break or fracture in his toe, but a sprain will keep him sidelined until at least mid-June.
The 2022 AL MVP sustained the injury while making a highlight-reel catch against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday. He knocked open the door of the visiting bullpen while making the catch and slammed his toe against the concrete at the bottom of the wall.
This is the second time this season that Judge will spend time on the injured list after a right hip strain forced him to miss two weeks in late April/early May.
Judge is putting together another stellar season, batting .291 with an AL-best 19 home runs and 40 RBIs in 49 games.
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