Yesterday (June 27, 2023), the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani started on the mound and, as usual, was in the lineup at Designated Hitter. Ohtani picked up the win – running his record to 7-3, 3.02 – going 6 1/3 innings and striking out ten batters. At the plate he went three-for-three, with a walk and a pair of solo homers (his 27th and 28th of the season). In the process, he became just the sixth MLB pitcher to record ten or more strikeouts and hit two home runs in a game. Here’s the list.
Milt Pappas, Orioles … August 27, 1961
Pappas pitched two-hit shutout, fanning 11, as the Orioles beat the Twins 3-0 in Minnesota. At the plate, Pappas went two-for-four with two solo home runs.
Right-hander Pappas had a 17-season MLB career (1957-73 … Orioles, Reds, Braves, Cubs). He was a two-time All Star and won fifteen or more games in seven seasons. His final stat line was 209-164, 3.40. His best season was 1972, when he went 17-7, 2.77 for the Cubs. At the plate, Pappas went .123-20-67 in 1,073 at bats.
Pedro Ramos, Indians … July 31, 1963
As the Indians topped the Angels Sox 9-5 in Cleveland, Ramos went 8 1/3 innings giving up 11 hits and five runs, while fanning 15. At the plate , he was two-for-four, with two solo round trippers.
Right-hander Ramos pitched in 15 MLB seasons (1955-67, 1969-70 … Senators/Twins, Indians, Yankees, Phillies, Reds, new Senators). From 1958-61, he led the American League in losses every year – going a combined 49-75, 3.94 over the four seasons. He also lead the league in starts in two of those campaigns. His final stat line was 117-160, 4.08. A switch-hitter, Ramos hit .155-15-56 in 703 at bats.
Rick Wise, Philllies … August 28, 1971
With his Phillies topping the Giants 7-3 in Philadelphia, Wise went the full nine innings, giving up eight hits and three runs and fanning 11. At the plate, he was two-for-three with a solo homer and Grand Slam.
Wise pitched in 18 MLB seasons (1964, 1966-82 … Phillies, Cardinals, Red Sox, Indians, Padres). The two-time All Star won 15 or more games in six seasons, with a high of 19 with the 1975 Red Sox (19-12, 3.95). At the plate, he went .195-15-66 in 668 at bats. From 1967 through 1970, he hit .200 or better in four seasons, going .231-5-22. In 1971, he hit .237, with six homers and 15 RBI in 39 games.
Two Blasts and a NO-NO
While he didn’t notch ten strikeouts, Rick Wise gets a special shout out for being the only MLB pitcher to hit two home runs in a game in which he also tossed a no-hitter. On June 23, 1971, Wise no-hit the Reds (in Cincinnati) as his Phillies won 4-0. Wise walked one and fanned three in his no-hitter and also drove in three runs with a pair of long balls.
Madison Bumgarner, Giants … April 2, 2017
Photo by andyrusch 
Photo by slgckgc
On Opening Day in 2017, Madison Bumgarner and the Giants beat the Diamondbacks 6-5 in Arizona. Bumgarner got the win, pitching seven innings and giving up six hits and three runs, while fanning 11. At the plate he went two-for -two, with two solo homers and a walk. (Side note: Zack Greinke started for the Diamondbacks, two years to the day before he would also notch a two-homer, ten-strikeout game.)
Bumgarner, still active in 2023 (currently a free agent), is in his 15th MLB season (2009-23 … Giants, Diamondbacks). The four-time All Star has won 15 or more games in four seasons and owns a career mark of 134-124, 3.47. His best season to date is 2015, when he went 18-9, 2,93 for the Giants. As a hitter, Bumgarner has a .232-19-65 stat line in 633 at bats. In 2014, he hit .258-4-15 in 31 games.
Zack Greinke, Diamondbacks … April 2, 2019
Exactly two years after Madison Bumgarner pulled off the two-homer, ten-whiff combo against Greinke and the Diamondbacks, Greinke notched a similar game for himself. As his Diamondbacks topped he Padres 8-5 in San Diego, Greinke got the win with six innings of three-run ball (three runs, ten whiffs). At the plate, he went two-for-four. With a solo homer and three-run shot.
Greinke has pitched in 20 MLB seasons (2004-2023 … Royals, Brewers, Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Astros). He has won 15 or more games in nine seasons. The five-time All Star’s and 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner’s best season was 2015 ( 19-3 for the Dodgers, with a league-low 1.66 earned run average). At the plate, Grienke has hit .225-9-34 in 521 at bats. In 2013, he hit .328 (15-for-58) for the Dodgers. Greinke also has six Gold Gloves on his MLB resume.
Shohei Ohtani, Angels … June 27, 2023
As the Angels bested the White Sox 4-2 (in LA), Ohtani got the win with 6 1/3 innings of four-hit, one-run ball – while fanning ten. At the plate, he went three-for-three with two solo homers. (Note: Probably more two-homer/ten-whiff games in his future.)
Ohtani, a two-way star in Japan, signed with the Angels in December of 2017. Since joining the Angels, he has gone 35-17, 2.97 on the mound with 568 strikeouts in 445 innings pitched. At the plate, he has gone .272-155-406 in 645 games. Ohtani was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2018 and the league MVP in 2021. In his MVP season, Ohtani hit .257-46-100, stole 26 bases and led the AL with eight triples – also going 9-2, 3.18 on the mound (23 starts).
Primary resource: Baseball-Reference.com
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