Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels high fives Zach Neto after crossing the plate on a two run home run in the third inning against the Seattle Mariners at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on June 10, 2023 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM ― Shohei Ohtani shook his head not once but twice, the purest expression of disappointment the perpetually polite superstar can muster in the heat of a moment. He did not like the strike-3 call from home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi that left two runners on base, and the bat in his hands, to end the Angels’ half of the fifth inning.
Phil Nevin did more than shake his head. The Angels’ manager swiped at the dirt beside home plate with an open palm. He shook his hand at Cuzzi with fury. His temples swelled like a hot air balloon on a cold and misty night. And who could blame him?
A borderline strike-3 call to their hottest hitter was not a battle the Angels could afford to lose Saturday night. They mustered only five hits in a 6-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners, saving the main excitement for an Ohtani home run and Nevin’s epic ejection before an announced crowd of 38,454 at Angel Stadium.
The loss ended the Angels’ winning streak at five games. The fourth-place Mariners (31-32) drew a bit closer to the third-place Angels (35-31) in the American League West on a day when the first- and second-place teams in the division both won.
Angels starter Patrick Sandoval (3-6) ran into trouble in the third inning of a 0-0 game. After J.P. Crawford singled with one out, Julio Rodriguez ended a seven-pitch at-bat by crushing a hanging changeup 421 feet to left-center field. Rodriguez’s 12th home run of the season gave the Mariners a 2-0 lead.
A double by Ty France, followed by a Teoscar Hernandez single, made it 3-0 before the inning was over.
Ohtani’s two-run home run against Mariners starter Bryan Woo (1-1) drew the Angels within 3-2 in the bottom of the third inning. His 18th home run of the season also drew him within one of the American League leader, Aaron Judge.
The Angels didn’t threaten to score against Woo until the fifth inning, when a single by Gio Urshela and an automatic double by Mickey Moniak put runners on second and third. With Ohtani due up again, the Mariners turned to reliever Gabe Speier to deliver the rage-inducing, inning-ending strikeout.
In the meantime, the Mariners kept scoring. Singles by Eugenio Suarez, A.J. Pollock, Tom Murphy and Crawford led to two more runs in the fourth inning. Crawford, from nearby Lakewood, went 4 for 5 to lead Seattle’s 16-hit attack.
Sandoval allowed 10 hits and five runs, all earned, in five innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out eight. After starting the season 3-1, the left-hander has lost each of his last five starts.