3 years ago
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ANAHEIM — You volition not beryllium amazed to cognize that Shohei Ohtani is 1 of the players tied for the Angels’ pb successful location runs since the All-Star break.
You astir apt wouldn’t conjecture that he’s tied with Jack Mayfield though.
Ohtani homered and Mayfield deed his archetypal vocation expansive slam connected Monday night, and the Angels bushed the New York Yankees, 8-7, with the go-ahead tally scoring successful the eighth connected Juan Lagares’ 3rd deed of the night.
“It was amazing,” Mayfield said of the fourth-inning expansive slam against Corey Kluber. “I blacked retired a small bit. I don’t retrieve moving the bases. It’s decidedly 1 of the astir breathtaking moments of my career.”
Mayfield’s ninth homer since the All-Star interruption concisely gave him the squad pb successful that category, but Ohtani tied him a fewer innings later.
While Mayfield has conscionable those 9 homers each season, Ohtani present has a large league-leading 42 and an wrong way to the American League MVP award.
Mayfield is simply trying to beryllium that helium deserves to play regularly successful the majors.
The journeyman infielder had hardly played successful the large leagues successful the archetypal half. He got a changeable astatine regular playing clip astatine 3rd basal aft Anthony Rendon got wounded successful aboriginal July. And conscionable this week he’s gotten the accidental to amusement what helium tin bash astatine shortstop.
Mayfield was getting his 3rd commencement astatine the presumption successful the past 4 games, which surely led to the presumption that thing indispensable beryllium incorrect with José Iglesias. But Manager Joe Maddon said earlier the crippled that Iglesias is fine, and the Angels simply wanted to spot much of Mayfield astatine shortstop arsenic they program for the future.
Mayfield has played 2nd base, 3rd basal and shortstop – with immoderate spectacular defence astatine 3rd – and he’s produced a .682 OPS that is built mostly connected his astonishing power.
“He’s done bully work,” Maddon said. “Let’s springiness him an opportunity. I’m not saying thing is etched successful chromatic by immoderate means for adjacent year, but I privation to spot him astatine shortstop a small spot too.”
Mayfield is 30 and helium has switched teams by waivers 3 times already this year, truthful helium is astir apt not successful information for an mundane shortstop job, but helium surely could beryllium a inferior infielder who would marque adjacent to the large league minimum wage adjacent year.
Mayfield’s expansive slam enactment the Angels ahead, 5-2, successful a crippled that became a slugfest.
It was nary astonishment the Angels had occupation holding down the Yankees. With their pitching unit depleted by injuries, they were starting Mike Mayers successful a bullpen game.
Mayers gave up hits to the archetypal 3 hitters of the game, starring to 2 runs. Although Mayers, Sam Selman and Andrew Wantz held the Yankees scoreless for the adjacent 3 innings, José Quijada was charged with 3 runs successful the 5th to necktie the score.
The Angels got the pb backmost erstwhile Ohtani blasted a hanging curveball from erstwhile teammate Andrew Heaney 431 feet into the seats beside the edifice by the close tract pole.
“I’ve ne'er seen a shot deed into that level, ever,” Maddon said.
The Yankees tied the people astatine 7-7 successful the seventh, erstwhile Junior Guerra issued a locomotion to Anthony Rizzo and past Giancarlo Stanton blasted a 458-foot thrust into the rocks beyond the halfway tract fence.
Lagares, though, got the Angels the pb with his 2nd RBI of the night, yanking a two-out azygous into near to thrust successful Brandon Marsh, who had led disconnected with a single. Lagares besides drove successful a tally with a triple successful the sixth.
Lagares has deed .319 implicit his past 31 games.
“He’s made a batch of truly bully adjustments with his swing,” Maddon said. “Him and the hitting coaches merit a batch of credit. From wherever helium had been successful the opening of the twelvemonth to now, determination is simply a overmuch amended way to the ball. What you’re seeing is real. He tin prolong what he’s doing now.”
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