Shohei Ohtani went 3-for-5 with two home runs and three RBIs, leading the Los Angeles Angels to a 10-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Monday.
Ohtani drove the first pitch he saw in the third inning from left-hander Tyler Alexander (3-9) over the right-center field wall with one runner on, pushing the Halos' lead to 4-0 at Angel Stadium.
In the seventh, the two-way star added his 32nd homer of the season to left-center off Garrett Hill, making it 8-0.
"I feel good about the way I'm seeing pitches and the way I'm swinging, so I want to continue," Ohtani said. "I've seen some balls off my bat find holes lately. That's different from the early part of the season."
Ohtani is now alone in second in the AL home run race, behind only Aaron Judge, who homered for the third straight game Monday to bring his tally to 54 in the New York Yankees' 5-2 win over the Minnesota Twins. Judge and Ohtani are among the top contenders for the league's MVP.
Ohtani started his three-hit night with a double off the right-field wall before Luis Rengifo's run-scoring single and Taylor Ward's RBI groundout gave the Angels a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
With three hits, Ohtani now has 500 in MLB. He also had 296 hits in Japan's Pacific League before moving to the Angels in 2018.
Mike Trout reached 30 home runs for the seventh time in his illustrious career with a solo shot in the fifth. The Angels finished with 16 hits, including four by Rengifo and three each by Trout and Ohtani.
Jose Suarez (6-6) limited the Tigers to three hits over seven innings, walking one and striking out seven.