June 28 (UPI) -- Shohei Ohtani accomplished yet another first in a career already full of groundbreaking baseball feats, homering twice and striking out 10 batters in a Los Angeles Angels win over the Chicago White Sox.
Ohtani reached base four times, going 3 for 3 with two RBIs, two runs scored and a walk in the 4-2 triumph Tuesday at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif. He is the sixth MLB player to hit two home runs and issue 10 strikeouts in the same game since 1893.
"We're seeing things every day that we've never seen before and you try not to take it for granted," Angels manager Phil Nevin said of Ohtani. "I don't think any of us do.
"I understand how special it is. But I also understand how special the person is to our room and what he brings to us every day."
Ohtani left the mound in the seventh inning because of a cracked nail, but remained in the game as a hitter.
"I haven't really discussed my next outing yet," Ohtani said. "But I think I got out of the game before it got too bad."
Ohtani allowed just four hits and one run over 6 1/3 innings to earn his seventh win in his 16th start of the season. He gave the Angels a 1-0 lead when he smashed a 418-foot solo homer to right field off White Sox starter Michael Kopech in the bottom of the first inning.
Kopech issued a walk to Ohtani in the third. The Angels pushed their lead to 2-0 on an RBI groundout by infielder David Fletcher in the fourth.
Ohtani left the mound in the top of the seventh. White Sox first baseman Gavin Sheets hit an RBI single to make the score 2-1 two at-bats later. Ohtani then smacked a 404-foot solo homer to left field in the bottom of the inning.
Veteran first baseman Mike Moustakas plated the Angels' final run with an RBI single three at-bats later.
White Sox designated hitter Andrew Vaughn brought in the final run of the night with another RBI single in the top of the ninth.
Moustakas went 2 for 4 with an RBI for the Angels. Angels closer Carlos Estevez allowed four hits and one run in the ninth to earn his 20th save of the season.
Ohtani is now hitting .304 with a league-leading 28 homers and 64 RBIs this season. He is 7-3 on the mound, with a 3.02 ERA and MLB-best .180 batting average against. Ohtani also leads the league with a rate of 12 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.
The Angels (44-37) sit in second place in the American League West, five games behind the first-place Texas Rangers. They will host the White Sox at 9:38 p.m. EDT Wednesday in Anaheim.
