Shintaro Fujinami got off to a bright start before giving up eight runs over 2⅓ innings and getting tagged with a loss in his MLB debut Saturday, as the Oakland Athletics lost 13-1 to the Los Angeles Angels.
The former Hanshin Tigers right-hander struck out four during his two perfect opening innings, getting two-way star Shohei Ohtani, considered his pitching rival in high school, to ground out in the first at Oakland Coliseum.
But Fujinami walked his first batter to begin a nightmare third in which he yielded five hits and three walks, letting Ohtani get within centimeters of a grand slam when the World Baseball Classic MVP's line drive hit the top of the left-field wall for a single that plated a run for a 3-0 lead.
"I had been able to attack with my fastballs up till that point, but I overthought things (in the third) and started relying on breaking balls," Fujinami said.
"It ended up being a frustrating debut, so hopefully I can redeem myself next time."
The Angels scored 11 runs in the third to all but seal the contest. Ohtani, batting third as the designated hitter, went 2-for-5 with two RBIs after driving another run with a single in the sixth.
"(Fujinami) got me to ground out early in the count at my first at-bat," said Ohtani. "I think the number of samples is too few for me to make a comment on him, but his start was fantastic."