Los Angeles Angels two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani set a new franchise record during Tuesday's 2-0 victory against the Washington Nationals (box score) by notching his 10th consecutive start in which he surrendered two runs or fewer. The Angels' record for such starts had previously belonged to Nolan Ryan, who tallied nine in 1972-73.
The 28-year-old Ohtani held the lowly Nationals to one hit over seven innings. He was uncharacteristically wild on the evening, walking five batters. Nevertheless, he struck out six and closed out his line as a hurler with 92 pitches. Ohtani, as a hitter, went 1 for 4, with his lone knock coming as a single.
Ohtani last allowed more than two runs in a start back on Aug. 21, 2022, against the Detroit Tigers. He gave up three runs that day. Ohtani has not allowed more than three runs in a game since July 22, 2022 -- or 15 starts ago.
Coming into Tuesday's game, Ohtani had thrown 12 one-run innings across two starts. He had struck out 18 batters and issued seven walks in those frames. Ohtani had also batted .306/.419/.611 (185 OPS+) with three home runs and two doubles in 43 trips to the plate as a hitter.
Ryan enjoyed his nine-start stretch across his age-25 and age-26 seasons, or his first two years as a member of the then-California Angels. He would end up pitching in eight seasons with the Angels, amassing a 3.07 ERA (115 ERA+) and a 1.86 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Ryan made more appearances and starts with the Angels (291 and 288) than he did with any other MLB franchise.
The Angels improved to 6-5 with Tuesday night's victory. They'll wrap up their series with the Nationals on Wednesday before taking off Thursday. This weekend, they'll begin a series on the road against the Boston Red Sox.
