Angels News: Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani Chasing Home Run Records
Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani enter the final two games of the year on the verge of home run history.
Trout sits at 39 home runs on the season, while Ohtani is stuck at 34.
They have a chance to make some history, both as teammates and as individuals.
If Ohtani hits one more home run this season, he would join Trout as the third pair of teammates in Angels history with 35 or more home runs in a season. They would join the 2000 trio of Garrett Anderson, Troy Glaus and Mo Vaughn, and the 2015 duo of Trout and Albert Pujols.
Ohtani is on a 20-game home run drought, but is also in the midst of a career-high 18-game hitting streak. The power hasn't been there, but, as the season comes to a close, you have to think he has at least one more in him. Or maybe even two.
Ohtani has six games with two or more home runs this season. If he has a multi-HR game on Tuesday or Wednesday, he would break the Angels' single-season record for most multi-HR games in a season. He's currently tied with Glaus for first on the list.
As for Trout, he is just one home run shy of reaching 40 HR for the third time in his 12-year career. If he accomplishes the feat, it'll be in just 119 games (assuming he plays in the final two games of the year).
He would then become just the sixth player in MLB history to hit 40 or more home runs in 120 or fewer games in a season. Hank Aaron (1973), Ken Griffey Jr. (1994), Matt Williams (1994), J.D. Martinez (2017) and Nelson Cruz (2019) make up the remainder of the list.
The Angels' two best players have their work cut out for them over the final two games of the season. But if you had to bet on anyone to do it, these would be the two guys you'd want.
