Off trade block, Ohtani lifts Halos toward October

DETROIT -- Thursday was a muggy afternoon at Comerica Park, and the sun baked the field. Shohei Ohtani -- who was pitching a day earlier than previously scheduled -- had already thrown 97 pitches across eight innings in Game 1 of a doubleheader, of which he intended to participate in both ends.

The Angels, meanwhile, were just beginning a crucial nine-game road trip and a stretch of 15 games in 14 days.

With all of this in mind, manager Phil Nevin approached his two-way superstar following the eighth. No one would have blamed Ohtani if he’d handed over the ball to take a breather before batting out of the two-hole in the nightcap.

But to know Ohtani at all is to understand there was only one way the game would end.

“'I’ll finish it,’” Nevin recalled Ohtani telling him. “He wanted it. I could see it, too.”

And so it went, with Ohtani trotting back out for the ninth and dispatching three consecutive Tigers to earn his first career shutout. He allowed just one hit, a single in the fifth, during Los Angeles’ 6-0 win.

Ohtani’s legend only grew in the nightcap when he slugged his Major League-leading 37th and 38th home runs during the Angels’ 11-4 victory. In doing so, he became just the second pitcher since at least 1900 to allow one hit or fewer during a shutout and homer twice on the same day, joining Rick Wise, who hurled a no-hitter on June 23, 1971.

Ohtani has always had the wow factor, but Nevin said he thought the 29-year-old “went into another gear” in his latest showing. How much of that was due to the peace of mind that comes from the Angels quashing rumors of his potential trade by stepping to the table as buyers on Wednesday night?

“From the beginning, my plan was to finish strong this season with the Angels,” Ohtani said through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. “I don’t think things are really going to change mentally, but all the people talking about the trades, that's going to be all gone. So, I feel like I'm just focused on taking this team to the playoffs.”

Ohtani dominated trade talks over the past week as the Angels teetered on the edge of postseason contention. They entered play on Thursday trailing Toronto by four games for the final AL Wild Card spot, and it seemed like it would take right up to Tuesday’s Deadline to determine whether they would build for October or potentially unload their superstar to focus on the longer-term outcome.

But general manager Perry Minasian -- who took a leap of faith Wednesday night and sent two of Los Angeles’ top three prospects to the White Sox in exchange for starter Lucas Giolito and reliever Reynaldo López -- said Ohtani hadn’t been a bargaining chip.

“I made it pretty clear the last time we talked, I think, that he wasn't going anywhere. I don't know if anybody believed me,” Minasian told the media with a chuckle on Thursday morning. “This is a special player having a unique season with a team that has a chance to win. And to me, that's grounds for trying to improve the club. Whether it works or whether it doesn't, I can go to bed at night and say, 'You know what? We did this for the right reasons and we're giving ourselves a chance.'”

Nonetheless, having the front office publicly confirm that Ohtani was off the table, combined with Wednesday’s big trade, created a “buzz” in the clubhouse that Nevin said he thought “added a little something.” The players felt it too, capping a three-game sweep with four home runs in the finale.

The Halos’ past 24 hours answered the most pressing questions for Ohtani and his teammates, but fans will naturally now shift to wondering what lies beyond 2023 for Ohtani, who stands to command the largest contract in MLB history as a free agent this offseason.

Is there something to be said for this midseason display of loyalty? Of course, said fellow superstar Mike Trout.

“I think this sends a clear message with the front office,” he said. “They want [Ohtani] back, and I think everybody wants him back. That's obviously his decision, so, we'll see how it goes and see where this goes. You know, at the end of the year, we'll see.”