The Angels lost to the Cincinnati Reds 7-3 in a spring training game Monday at Tempe Diablo Stadium.
OHTANI OPPO POWER: Shohei Ohtani wasn’t expecting a breaking pitch. He didn’t even think he made a good swing. The ball, he said, only “tapped the bat.” It cleared the left-field fence for a home run anyway.
The blast was the first of two opposite-field homers Ohtani hit Monday, continuing his sizzling Cactus League campaign. He is batting .563 with a 1.681 on-base-plus-slugging this spring.
Through his translator, Ohtani said the opposite-field power — his second home run Monday was a no-doubter halfway up the grass berm in left-center — has been an encouraging sign as he tries to rebound from a poor 2020 season.