Trout blasts opening day homer, etching his name in Angels history while silencing doubts about his MVP form returning.
The Los Angeles Angels entered the 2026 MLB season with low expectations, and they are widely projected to finish at the bottom of the tough American League West division.
However, Opening Day was a pleasant surprise as the Angels defeated the Houston Astros 3-0 at Daikin Park in Texas.
Jose Soriano pitched well, throwing six shutout innings with just two hits and striking out seven to get the first win of the season.
And, there is already some encouragement after all of the offseason questions about Mike Trout and whether or not he can return to his MVP form.
Trout began with three walks and a solo home run in the first game of the season.
Trout, the No. 25 overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft, also made Angels franchise history in the process.
For starters, Trout matched Garrett Anderson with 14 career appearances on Opening Day.
But, Trout became the first-ever Angels player with 14 career starts on Opening Day, and the first to appear in 16 seasons with the Angels.
The home run was the icing on the cake, and it marked the first run of the 2026 season for the Angels.
After the game, Trout admitted he is just "sticking to his routine," via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com.
“Just staying with the routine, staying with the plan,” Trout said. “The [hitting coaches] in the cage, we’ve been working hard on it and it’s paying off. I’m just staying with my approach, just get a pitch to hit and don’t miss it.”
Trout played in 130 games in 2025, the most he has appeared in since 2019, so that was definitely a promising sign.
He hit 26 home runs with 64 RBIs a year ago, and everyone - including Trout - is waiting for that All-Star form to reappear for the superstar outfielder.
Entering the season, although the Angels aren't expected to make much noise, a lot of the headlines were about Trout and whether or not he can still produce at a high level after plenty of injury-filled seasons.
If Trout does take a step forward, that will considerably help the Angels' chances of playing meaningful baseball deep into the season, even with the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and Astros all viewed as playoff contenders.
It's early, but so far, so good, and now Trout's name is in another Angels record in the franchise history books.