The Los Angeles Angels are currently streaking.
It’s not much yet, but they have won three straight games and seven of their last ten.
The team has been playing good ball and it’s showing in the standings.
With their 17-14 record, they are just 1.5 games behind the Texas Rangers for the AL West lead.
A big reason behind their recent performance is, of course, superstar Shohei Ohtani.
The two-way performer, playing for his new contract after the World Series (potentially before, but that’s highly unlikely), is making history virtually with every move he makes.
On Wednesday night, he came close to another record.
“Fewest innings to reach 500 career strikeouts as starting pitcher: Corbin Burnes: 365 IP, Shohei Ohtani: 388 2/3 IP, Dylan Cease: 399 1/3 IP, Jose Fernandez: 400 IP, Shane Bieber: 401 1/3 IP,” Sarah Langs, a stats expert, tweeted.
fewest innings to reach 500 career strikeouts as starting pitcher:
Corbin Burnes: 365 IP
Shohei Ohtani: 388 2/3 IP
Dylan Cease: 399 1/3 IP
Jose Fernandez: 400 IP
Shane Bieber: 401 1/3 IPh/t @EliasSports https://t.co/CYptFZ2kUC
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) May 4, 2023
Only Milwaukee Brewers ace Corbin Burnes reached 500 career strikeouts among starters faster than Ohtani.
Burnes, the 2021 NL Cy Young award winner, did it in 365 innings; while Ohtani needed 388.2.
They are both among the best hurlers in baseball, even if Burnes if off to a somewhat slow start.
Ohtani, on the other hand, is firing on all cylinders.
He conceded four earned runs on Wednesday, but of the 15 outs he got (he completed five frames), 13 were strikeouts.
He now has a 2.54 ERA for the year and an impressive 59 punchouts in 39 frames.
For all the awards he has won as a major leaguer, he has never earned an AL Cy Young.
Could this be the season in which he takes home the award?
He is very much capable of it.
