Trout's 350th career HR? 490-foot blast to cap '22

OAKLAND -- Mike Trout saved one of his most prodigious blasts for his last at-bat of the season.

Not only did the Angels' superstar smash his 40th homer by sending one out in the eighth inning of the Halos' season-closing 3-2 loss to the A’s on Wednesday, but it also went a projected 490 feet to straightaway center field, qualifying as the longest homer by an Angels player since Statcast was introduced in 2015.

Trout absolutely crushed a 3-2 fastball from Norge Ruiz to reach a personal 350-homer milestone, as well as totaling 40 long balls in a season for the third time in his career.

Trout went deep 40 times in 2022 despite being limited to 119 games due to injuries -- the third-fewest games played in a 40-homer season in AL/NL history. The only players with 40 homers or more in fewer games than Trout did so in the strike-shortened 1994 season, as Ken Griffey Jr. had 40 homers in 111 games and Matt Williams hit 43 blasts in 112 games.

J.D. Martinez hit 45 homers in that same span of 119 games in 2017, with Trout now joining him as the most recent sluggers to accomplish the feat.

Trout, who missed more than a month with a back injury suffered in mid-July, said he was pleased to reach the milestone. He became the first player in franchise history to record three seasons with at least 40 homers, passing Troy Glaus, who did it twice. Trout also hit 41 homers in '15 and a career-high 45 in '19.

"That was one of my goals when I came back," Trout said. "I told the guys 40 would be a cool number to get to. I got a good pitch to hit and it went out. I wasn’t thinking about it at the time. But it’s a good way to go out."

Trout’s homer surpassed his previous record blast of 486 feet, which also came at the Coliseum against lefty Brett Anderson on Sept. 5, 2019. It was the fifth longest homer hit by any player in the Majors this year and the longest not recorded at Coors Field. It also left the bat at 110.6 mph.

• Ohtani makes more history to close 'unbelievable' '22

Angels manager Phil Nevin has indicated he believes Trout would be in the MVP conversation with Yankees slugger Aaron Judge and two-way star Shohei Ohtani had Trout stayed healthy. Nevin also reiterated he believes Ohtani should win the award.

"If Mike plays a full season this year, the conversation is a lot different," Nevin said. "I’ve been on record and have told you guys what I think. I love Judgy, and yesterday was awesome, watching that. Congrats to him. But you guys know how I feel."

• 'Ecstatic' Nevin signs one-year contract through 2023

Trout, who hit .283/.369/.630 with 40 homers, 28 doubles and 80 RBIs this season, said he’s excited to see what the Angels do this offseason in an attempt to turn it around next year. The Angels finished the year 73-89, marking their seventh straight losing season -- the longest active streak in the Majors. But Trout was happy to see Nevin get a one-year contract to return as manager next year.

"It’s great," Trout said. "The guys in this clubhouse trust him and rely on him. It’s been good the last few months he’s been here or whatever it’s been. He worked hard to get here, and it means a lot to him and a lot of us."