Shohei Ohtani allowed one hit over seven innings, earning his second win in the Los Angeles Angels' 2-0 victory Tuesday over the Washington Nationals.
The two-way star has allowed two or fewer runs in 10 consecutive starts. According to MLB.com, this surpassed the previous team record set by Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan from 1972 to 1973.
Ohtani (2-0), who lowered his season ERA to 0.47 with the result, kept the Nationals off the board despite issuing five walks and hitting a batter, something that has happened a lot this year. He has walked 12 batters in 19 innings after walking just 88 over 296⅓ innings combined in 2021 and 2022.
"As suspected I might, I hit and walked a lot," Ohtani said. "That tires me out when I'm pitching, and tires my teammates, too. I think that is a trouble area."
Ohtani struck out six in a 92-pitch outing, while going one-for-four at the plate and contributing to the Angels' first run.
With two on and no out in the fourth, Ohtani singled to load the bases, allowing a run to score on Anthony Rendon's sacrifice fly.
Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe's fourth homer made it 2-0 in the sixth, before relievers Jose Quijada and Carlos Estevez preserved the shutout — the second of the season for Los Angeles — with a scoreless inning each.
The Angels announced that Ohtani's next start will be against World Baseball Classic teammate Masataka Yoshida's Red Sox in Boston on Monday, in an unusual 11:10 a.m. local start due to the running of the Boston Marathon the same day.
Yoshida went hitless in three trips to the plate Tuesday as the Red Sox fell 7-2 to the streaking Tampa Bay Rays, winners of their first 11 games.