Shohei Ohtani looked hurt, hobbling around home plate after fouling a ball off the inside of his right knee.
Turns out there wasn’t much wrong. In fact, the two-way star just got stronger.
Ohtani struck out eight, hit two doubles at the plate and pushed through an injury scare to lead the Los Angeles Angels past the slumping Arizona Diamondbacks 6-5 in 10 innings on Friday night.
“When he’s faced with a dilemma, he turns up the dial,” Angels manager Joe Maddon said. “Love it. He knows exactly what he’s doing at all times, I mean exactly.”
Max Stassi’s RBI groundout scored Jared Walsh in the top of the 10th to put the Angels ahead for good. Extra innings were needed after Arizona’s Eduardo Escobar hit a two-out, tying homer off Raisel Iglesias (4-2) in the ninth.
Alex Claudio earned his first save of the season by getting the final out when Stephen Vogt struck out on a check swing with two on. Arizona lost its eighth in a row.
It was another big night for Ohtani following a few worrisome moments in the third inning.