Pirates rookie makes history against Shohei Ohtani with monster game
Aug 21, 2018; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Angels pitcher/designated hitter Shohei Ohtani in the dugout against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Shohei Ohtani has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season. It seems Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Henry Davis didn’t get the memo.
Davis hit not one, but two home runs against Ohtani during the Pirates’ 8-5 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night. It’s the first time in Ohtani’s MLB career that a single player homered twice off of him in the same game.
In the top of the fourth inning, Davis drove a high off-speed pitch into the Angels’ bullpen to give Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead.
Shohei Ohtani, meet Henry Davis 🚀
The second-ranked @Pirates prospect wallops his third big league roundtripper at 106.7 mph off the bat: pic.twitter.com/49x4kg9fQd
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 22, 2023
Then two innings later, the Pirates outfielder took the very first pitch of the sixth — a 97 mph fastball — opposite field for his second home run in as many at-bats.
.@Pirates rookie Henry Davis is the 1st player with a 2-HR game against Shohei Ohtani! 🤯
H/T @SlangsOnSports pic.twitter.com/UNNP8YoPP5
— MLB (@MLB) July 22, 2023
It’s not a bad way for Davis to garner the third and fourth home runs of his career. Davis also got a single off of Ohtani in the second inning for a 3-hit game.
Despite Davis’ heroics, the Angels still managed to outscore the Pirates 8-5 to claim the victory. An Ohtani walk to lead off the bottom of the fourth was the start of a 5-run inning for the home team. The Angels followed that up with a 3-run fifth inning to seal the win.
Ohtani has had an uncharacteristically tough July. In three games thus far, he’s already given up 14 earned runs for an ERA of 8.10.
