Texas Rangers rookie Kohei Arihara held former teammate Shohei Ohtani hitless in two at-bats Monday on the way to his second major league win in a 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.
Arihara and Ohtani played together for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters of Japan's Pacific League from 2015 through 2017. Ohtani started his first season with the Angels in 2018, and Arihara joined the Rangers in December after a six-year career with the Fighters.
At Angel Stadium, Arihara (2-1) pitched 5⅔ scoreless innings, striking out six while limiting the Angels to two hits and two walks. Ohtani grounded into a double play and flied out against Arihara in the Japanese players' first MLB matchup.