Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout turned back the clock with an Opening Day home run against the Houston Astros.
Mike Trout continued his return to form yesterday against the Houston Astros, as he ruined the Astros’ home opener by hitting a home run and leading the Los Angeles Angels to a surprising 3-0 Opening Day win.
Trout went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, three walks and a stolen base, and he became teh first Angels player to reach base four times on Opening Day since Darin Erstad turned the trick back in 2000. The home run broke open a scoreless pitcher’s duel as starter Jose Soriano threw six scoreless innings and struck out seven to get the win.
“I felt like myself again out there,” Trout said in a story written by Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. “Just being in center and stealing bags. It was a fun win. It’s huge. They’ve got a great team over there. It was a complete win for us.”
The victory made the managerial debut of Kurt Suzuki a rousing success, and it was just the second time the Angels have won their opener in their last 13 tries. The last time they did it was back in 2013 against the Cincinnati Reds, and Trout and the rest of the Angels players treated Suzuki to a celebratory beer shower after the game.
“It's a good feeling,” said Suzuki, who became the first Hawaii native to manage a big league game. “Just all the work that each and every one of us put in in spring training leading up to this moment. Obviously, it's just Game 1, but still a special moment. You never forget that first one.”
Trout also became the first player in Angels history to start in 14 Opening Day games and play in at least 16 seasons with the club. He reached base four times, stole a base and returned to center field, and now that he’s healthy he looked like his old self.
“It's Mike Trout,” catcher Logan O’Hoppe said. “No one is surprised in here. We’re glad we got him on our side. That’s for damn sure.”
Trout’s home run happened on a 96.2 mph fastball from reliever AJ Blubaugh, and it made it over the train tracks in left field. It was Trout’s fifth home run on Opening Day, which leaves him just one behind both Tyler O’Neill and Bryce Harper as the current leaders among active players.
“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.”
It’ll be interesting to see how the Angels manage Trout going forward, as they’re one of the few teams that doesn’t have a day off in the staggered schedule this weekend following Opening Day. They also have six straight game coming out of the gate, as their road trip continues on Monday when they play the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, so this sequence will provide some idea of how often they intend to trot Trout out in back-to-back games.