Ohtani pitches seven superb innings, Angels upend Oakland 6-1

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani retired the Oakland Athletics' first 19 batters and yielded one hit over seven shutout innings in his home pitching debut, leading the Los Angeles Angels to a 6-1 victory Sunday.

Marcus Semien's clean one-out single to left broke up Ohtani's bid for a perfect game, and the two-way Japanese sensation finished the inning for a bravura performance with 12 strikeouts.

Ohtani (2-0) struck out the side twice during the latest feat in a series of early-season superlatives by the 23-year-old Japanese prodigy.

He won his pitching debut in Oakland last weekend with six strong innings. He homered in three consecutive games in Anaheim between starts in his attempt to become the first regular two-way player in decades.

He was sharp from the beginning on a gorgeous day in Orange County, striking out the side in the first inning on 15 pitches while mixing 99 mph heat with 80 mph splitters and precipitous curveballs.

Ohtani struck out the side again in the fifth inning, and he fanned every Oakland batter except Jonathan Lucroy at least once.

Jed Lowrie drew a fourpitch walk after Semien's single, but Ohtani ended the threat by inducing Khris Davis' weak groundout and striking out Matt Olson. He left the mound to the last of several standing ovations from his enthralled new fans in the sellout crowd — an unheard-of gathering at Angel Stadium in April.

Mike Trout and Ryan Schimpf homered, and Albert Pujols had an RBI double in the Angels' seventh win in nine games.

Kendall Graveman (0-2) gave up five hits and four walks while failing to get out of the fourth inning for the A's, who have lost seven of 10. Matt Joyce homered in the ninth.

Trout scored his 700th run in the first inning on Pujols' double down the left-field line. Trout joined a club of nine players in baseball history, including Pujols, who had 200 homers and 700 runs scored before their age-27 season.

Trout connected for 440homer over the ficus trees in center field in the third inning, snapping an 0-for15 skid on Los Angeles' homestand. The two-time AL MVP added a bloop RBI single in the fourth to chase Graveman.

Blue Jays 7, Rangers 4.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Steve Pearce didn't want to wait around for Cole Hamels' confounding changeup.

So Toronto's leadoff hitter took a big swing at the first pitch he saw: a high fastball in just about a perfect spot for a hitter.

Pearce homered on the first pitch of the game, Kendrys Morales added a three-run shot in the first inning and the Blue Jays beat the Rangers 7-4 on Sunday.

"Just ready to hit, ready to attack him early," Pearce said of his first career leadoff homer . "That was the game plan. You don't want to wait around and let him bury you with that changeup. He's got some good stuff."

Jaime Garcia (1-0) won while facing Texas for the first time in the 31-yearold's 176th career start. The left-hander allowed three runs in 5 1/3 innings, leaving after Joey Gallo's two-run homer. The 445foot shot down the line in right was the Texas slugger's third of the season.

After becoming the first Texas pitcher to get the first eight outs on strikeouts in a win at Oakland in his previous start, Hamels (1-2) let four of the first five hitters reach in the left-hander's second straight home loss. The first was on opening day.

Hamels, who started 9-1 each of the past two seasons, gave up seven runs — five earned — and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings with two walks and five strikeouts. He struck out 11 in five innings against the Athletics.

Orioles 8, Yankees 7, 12 innings.

NEW YORK (AP) — Things were getting beyond dicey for Brad Brach and the Baltimore Orioles.

Bases loaded, no outs. Clinging to a one-run lead in the 12th. Big boppers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton coming up.

But boosted by an alert play from catcher Caleb Joseph, Brach escaped his own jam. And after overcoming an early deficit that left their starting pitcher punching the dugout wall, the Orioles held off the New York Yankees 8-7 Sunday.

"I just wanted to do my job after the guys before me got it to the 13th, 14th, whatever inning it was," Brach said.

"Had it the whole time," he added, with a smile.

The Orioles arrived at Yankee Stadium this week with a five-game losing streak. Craig Gentry's RBI single in the 12th helped them take three of four — the first time they've won three in any series in the Bronx since 1997, at the old park across the street.

"That was fun," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said.

It didn't look that way after Brach walked the first two batters and fumbled a bunt for an error.

"I knew their lineup, I knew who was coming up," Brach said. "I just tried to slow things down, take it pitch by pitch."

Judge hit a comebacker to Brach, who threw home. Joseph quickly whipped the ball to third base for a rare 1-2-5 double play.

"I always wondered why guys didn't try to go to third base there," Joseph said.

Brach struck out Stanton for his second save.

Red Sox 8, Rays 7.

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox are off to the best nine-game start in franchise history.

All the close ones are going their way right now.

Andrew Benintendi hit a tiebreaking RBI double in Boston's wild six-run eighth inning, and the Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 8-7 on Sunday for their eighth straight win.

The Red Sox lost shortstop Xander Bogaerts to a left ankle injury in the seventh, but moved to 8-1 with the sweep of their three-game set against the struggling Rays. They also improved to 5-0 in onerun games.