Shohei Ohtani carried a perfect game into the sixth inning and also played a central role with his bat in the first-inning uprising that kicked off the visiting Los Angeles Angels' 6-0 victory over the Houston Astros on Wednesday.
In the rubber match of a three-game series, Ohtani (1-2) retired the first 16 batters he faced to earn his first career win over the Astros, against whom he was 0-3 with a 5.92 ERA and 0-2 with a 6.50 ERA at Minute Maid Park. He threw 81 pitches, 55 for strikes, and rode a dominant slider to 12 strikeouts, tying his career high.
"My pitch count was getting high so I don't think I would've pitched nine innings," Ohtani said.