McCullers outduels Ohtani as Astros outlast Angels.
Gurriel strikes big blow in 8th with 3-run homer after masterful mound work by McCullers, Ohtani
The fatal blow flew high into a Houston night shielded only by a roof this small crowd threatened to take off. Yuli Gurriel got out of the batter’s box Tuesday night and took two steps backward to admire his handiwork. Playoff atmospheres do not arrive for another five months. The Astros and Angels created one on a nondescript day in May.
The Angels only hope to experience the actual thing. Their opponent thrives in such situations. Muzzled for seven innings by a transcendent talent, the Astros awoke for four runs in an exhilarating eighth inning. Gurriel launched a three-run home run to offer separation to complete a comeback and cause a dugout eruption.
The Astros beat the Angels 5-1. Neither team has played a more exciting game this season. Lance McCullers Jr. and Shohei Ohtani delivered a delightful pitcher’s duel with zero margin for mistakes. Ohtani hit second in the Angels’ batting order, too, treating 17,350 Minute Maid Park patrons to an absurd display of athleticism.
“You can feel it,” McCullers said. “I thought it was fun. People apparently don’t like pitcher’s duels, but I thought it was a fun game. It was pretty quick.”
Houston’s eighth-inning eruption afforded McCullers a win he wholly earned. He matched Ohtani pitch for pitch, producing one of his most dominant starts since returning from Tommy John surgery last July. Both starters muzzled their opponents for seven innings. One opposite-field home run marred both their lines.
“That was an old-fashioned pitching duel,” manager Dusty Baker said. “Boy, it was some game to watch and manage.”
Kyle Tucker took Ohtani deep into the Crawford Boxes in the fifth. Taylor Ward ambushed a first-pitch sinker from McCullers in the eighth. Tucker leapt to keep it in the ballpark. It flew just over his glove.
McCullers made no other mistakes. His brilliance buoyed the Astros all night. He struck out nine in eight excellent innings. Ward was the only runner to touch third base while he worked. McCullers yielded three singles in addition to the home run. One rolled against Houston’s defensive shift.
“He’s a guy that has some really great pitches and when he’s like that he’s practically unhittable,” Gurriel said through an interpreter. “He’s a really special talent.”
Sixty-four of McCullers’ 96 pitches were strikes. The Angels swung and missed 13 times against him. The leadoff man reached in the second and third but never advanced past first base. McCullers commanded his sinker with precision. He concluded four of his nine strikeouts with a changeup.
“It was a big game,” McCullers said. “We’re floating right above .500. It’s an indivision opponent … it’s really more about getting big wins against our in-division opponents. Everything is tight right now. Individual wins are cool, but I’m really happy we came alive.”
McCullers carried a shutout into the seventh inning. He retired 11 Angels in a row before falling behind Ohtani 0-1 to start the frame. Ohtani blooped a second-pitch changeup over Jose Altuve’s head into shallow right field for a leadoff hit. He sauntered to second after Mike Trout took a tense five-pitch walk.
After falling behind the superstar 2-0, McCullers spotted a sinker on the outer half. Statcast showed it nicked the strike zone. Home plate umpire Mark Wegner called it a ball. McCullers barked at the arbiter, who exchanged words back toward the mound. Martín Maldonado came up from his crouch to face the umpire. He patted Wegner’s chest and tried to settle him down.
McCullers managed to calm himself. Jared Walsh loomed. The cleanup hitter struck four hits and reached five times in Monday’s loss. McCullers threw him two curveballs. Walsh bounced the second to Altuve. His throw to Carlos Correa forced Trout at second. Correa uncorked a missile to first base, beating Walsh by two steps.
“Carlos’ throw was fantastic,” McCullers said. “That was a big moment in the game. Probably the play, the moment of the game that will go unnoticed, but it probably won us the game today.”
Ohtani started on Tuesday while leading the major leagues with 10 home runs. His two-way prowess puts him in unprecedented company. Only Babe Ruth had ever made multiple starts as a pitcher while also leading the league in home runs. Ohtani joined him on Tuesday.
“Ohtani is an incredible human being,” Gurriel said. “He’s really one in a million.”
Houston saw the version of Ohtani an entire sport constantly craves. He overpowered the Astros all night in his best start since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2018. His four-seam fastball averaged 96.2 mph and touched 99. In the fifth, he spun a 69.7 mph curveball to catch Maldonado swinging.
Ohtani struck out 10 batters and issued only one walk. He awoke on Tuesday with more walks (19) than innings thrown (18⅔). Opponents had only seven hits in 62 at-bats against him. Questions about his command and efficiency disappeared for this one delightful night.
The Astros did next to nothing against him. Altuve ambushed his first pitch of the game for a single. Michael Brantley ripped his first pitch of the fourth for another. He remained at first base after three subsequent strikeouts. All arrived against Ohtani’s splitter.
Ohtani’s splitter is one of baseball’s most untouchable pitches. No player had a hit against it this season before Tuesday’s game. The Astros fared no better. They struck out six times against it. In the sixth, Yordan Alvarez dribbled an infield single up the third-base line to at least muster a knock off the pitch. Gurriel struck out against it to strand him there.
“He was really good tonight,” Gurriel said. “The truth is I’ve never seen him like that. He had good control, a lot of velocity on his fastball and good control of his breaking pitches.”
Gurriel has carried the Astros’ lineup all season. Getting him to the plate should be Houston’s goal in any late-game situation. Getting Ohtani out of the game remained top of mind. The sport’s unicorn exited after the seven spectacular innings.
Angels manager Joe Maddon kept Ohtani in the game in right field so he could still hit. Maddon needed him more on the mound. Los Angeles’ bullpen imploded, giving away Ohtani’s excellent night.
Aaron Slegers started the eighth with a walk to Maldonado, Houston’s light-hitting catcher. Aledmys Diaz delivered a shift-beating single. Maddon signaled for Alex Claudio. Brantley deposited his fourth pitch into center field to score Altuve for a go-ahead double.
Gurriel arrived with two outs. Claudio fell behind 2-0, but threw a changeup to get back ahead. Gurriel crushed it toward the Crawford Boxes. The crowd came to life. The game went out of reach.
“It’s a big one,” Gurriel said. “It’s always a big thing to win against a division opponent. You enjoy those double when you’re able to beat someone in the division. I was just happy to help out.”