Anaheim – It’s hard to find a hotter hitter in baseball than the right-handed Angels Fielder Taylor Ward Immediately.
Ward has made an offensive offensive start this season and nearly made it to the tournament in a 9-5 win on The Guardians on Wednesday, where he fell short of achievement. But he made up for it even more, going 3 for 4 with a double in the first, a grand slam in the second, a walk in the fourth and a triple in the sixth back. Shuhei Ohtaniwho played five rounds and allowed two times He won his second.
Incredibly, Ward became the second player of the modern era to double, triple, major and four runs in a single game, joining Roger Maris in 1958, according to Stats Inc. /.531/.816 with four homers, two doubles and nine RBIs during his first 11 games of the season after missing eight games due to a strain in his left thigh.
Ohtani said through interpreter Ebi Mizuhara, “Watching him from the circle on the deck, I feel the zest he’s going to experience every time. I’m sure competitive shooters feel the same.”
The previous first-round pick in 2015 was one of the biggest surprises in baseball and boosted the Angels’ star-studded lineup that also includes Mike Trout, Otani, Anthony Rendon and Jared Walsh. Ward’s primary mission didn’t become safe until veteran Justin Upton became Dedicated to waiver Late in spring training, but now Ward is a key part of the Angels attack who leads the Majors with 95 points and is second with 25.
“It’s fun being a part of,” Trott said, “He comes in, works hard, keeps his routine and trusts him. It’s paying off in the field now. I think his mindset has really helped him.”
Ward rose to the top in seventh with the chance of becoming the 10th player in AL/NL history to hit a Grand Slam tournament. But he flew right on the first-court slide of left-footed Logan Allen and didn’t get another chance to hit the eighth.
Ward said, “I’ve been thinking about it too much. I just went out of my way and kind of did. I wish I’d been on that court and fighting it a little more.”
was taken I moved up to the lead spot in Monday’s lineup due to his hot start, as the Angels moved down Ohtani to second in the standings. Ward responded by hosting twice on Monday and also went 1 for 4 with a record on Tuesday.
He ignited a two-round rally in the first with a double lead from Guardians right-hand Zach Plisak after Ohtani allowed Homer two rounds to take on Jose Ramirez in the top half. Ward climbed to the plate again in the second half with bases loaded and threw the second Grand Slam of his career to put the Angels four games ahead.
Angels manager Joe Maddon said, “Ward is setting the tone right now, my God. The Grand Slam really puts us on the right side of things.”
Ward showed patience in the fourth round, scoring his eleventh career in 11 games. Ultimately, the Angels held the rules in the inning, recording a run on Walsh’s RBI song that saw Ohtani fall into the rundown between third and home.
The possibility of a lap became more realistic with Triple Ward in sixth place versus Allen. Ward drove the cutter 0-1 into the deep position and Miles Straw couldn’t handle it, allowing Ward to reach third in his third career triple.
As soon as I realized he wasn’t out of the field, I turned it on. I probably should have gotten out of there a little bit. As soon as I saw him kick, I turned it on, but I wasn’t thinking about the course at that point,” Ward said.
While Ward lamented not getting one in his last game, he said he would learn from his experience and not put too much pressure on himself in future situations. He has attributed the change in his mental approach to his recent success, showing flashes of it last year, when he hit .
Ward said: “Honestly, this is something that I feel really should have happened, but I am here now. I am happy to be here and I just want to keep the blinders and stay focused on this season.”
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