Angels score 11 in 3rd inning, thump Fujinami and A's 13-1
Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) celebrates after hitting an RBI-single against the Oakland Athletics during the third inning of a baseball game, Saturday, April 1, 2023, in Oakland, Calif. First base coach Damon Mashore, left, looks on. Credit: AP/D. Ross Cameron
OAKLAND, Calif. — Taylor Ward homered and drove in four runs, and the Los Angeles Angels scored 11 times in the third inning to beat the Oakland Athletics 13-1 on Saturday, spoiling the major league debut of pitcher Shintaro Fujinami.
Shohei Ohtani had two hits and two RBIs for Los Angeles. Gio Urshela, Jake Lamb and rookie catcher Logan O’Hoppe drove in two runs apiece to help the Angels avoid an 0-2 start for the second consecutive season.
Ramón Laureano homered off Angels starter Patrick Sandoval (1-0).
Fujinami, who signed a one-year, free-agent deal with Oakland after spending the past 10 seasons with the Hanshin Tigers, was part of the same draft class in Japan as Ohtani in 2012. Fujinami breezed through the first two innings, then fell apart.
After getting Ward to strike out swinging at a 93 mph slider to begin the game, Fujinami (0-1) whiffed slugger Mike Trout swinging on a 95 mph slider and got Ohtani to ground out weakly to first base.
Following a 1-2-3 second, the Angels broke through in the third. O’Hoppe’s RBI double got it going. Ward had a run-scoring single before Ohtani banged an 0-1 pitch off the left-field wall for a long RBI single.
Anthony Rendon added a sacrifice fly before Lamb’s two-run single made it 6-0 and ended Fujinami’s afternoon after 55 pitches.
Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Shintaro Fujinami, left, is taken out of a baseball game in the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, April 1, 2023. Credit: AP/Santiago Mejia
Ward’s homer was a three-run drive off reliever Adam Oller.
Fujinami lasted 2 1/3 innings, allowing eight earned runs with three walks and four strikeouts.
Sandoval extended his dominance of the A’s, allowing one run in five innings. He struck out two and walked two.
Tucker Davidson pitched four scoreless innings for the save.
Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Shintaro Fujinami (11) is taken out of a baseball game in the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, April 1, 2023. Credit: AP/Santiago Mejia
SHORT HOP
It was the fourth time in the last 50 years the A’s allowed 11 or more runs in one inning.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Angels: Brandon Drury was given a planned day off. Lamb started in Drury’s place at first base and batted sixth.
Athletics: Laureano was removed in the eighth, but it wasn't clear if it was injury-related.
UP NEXT
Tyler Anderson makes his Angels debut Sunday against Ken Waldichuk in a matchup of left-handers. Anderson had a 1.35 ERA over 13 1/3 innings this spring. Waldichuk went 0-4 in five starts last season for Oakland.
