Ohtani dominates in Fenway debut
BOSTON — Shohei Ohtani struck out 11 over seven shutout innings, had two hits and drove in a run in the Los Angeles Angels' 8-0 win over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday.
Making his pitching debut in Babe Ruth's original ballpark, the sport's biggest two-way star since Ruth induced 29 swings and misses from Boston batters — a career high for Ohtani (3-2) and the most for any pitcher this year. He threw 81 of his 99 pitches for strikes, also a career high.
Jared Walsh had four RBIS, curling a two-run homer around the left-field foul pole in the seventh to break a scoreless tie.
The Angels turned a two-run game into a blowout in the eighth, when Ohtani's line drive hit the Green Monster so hard that it knocked his uniform number out of the starting pitcher's slot on the manual scoreboard.
Anthony Rendon followed with an RBI single to chase Tanner Houck (2-2), and Walsh added a tworun dribbler through the shifted infield to make it 7-0. Houck gave up seven 1runs on five hits and a walk, striking out four in 2 ⁄3 innings.
Brandon Marsh added a solo homer in the ninth. Ohtani, who had pushed back his start from Tuesday because of groin tightness, allowed six hits and no walks.
Ohtani was the first pitcher at Fenway Park to bat in the top four of the order since Ruth, who was the Red Sox's cleanup hitter in the first game of a Sept. 20, 1919, doubleheader. In the fourth inning, Ohtani matched another Red Sox Hall of Famer by becoming the first starting pitcher to record a hit at Fenway since Roger Clemens in 1996.
Reds 10, Brewers 5: Willy Adames hit two of Milwaukee's six homers, and the Brewers beat lowly Cincinnati at Milwaukee.
Luis Urias, Christian Yelich, Tyrone Taylor and Keston Hiura also connected as Milwaukee won for the eighth time in nine games. Yelich finished with three hits and scored three times, and Adames had four RBIS.
Cincinnati closed out a winless six-game trip with its ninth consecutive loss. The major league-worst Reds have dropped 20 of 21 overall.
Rockies 9, Nationals 7: Garrett Hampson and Brendan Rodgers each hit three-run home runs as Colorado won at Denver.
Randal Grichuk also homered for the Rockies, who took two of three in the series. Daniel Bard got three outs for his eighth save in nine chances. He has had six consecutive scoreless outings.