One of the great tweets from the baseball world in recent years comes from Matt English on in May 2021 regarding the Los Angeles Angels (you can read a feature on it at The Athletic).
English tweeted, “every time I see an Angels highlight it’s like ‘Mike Trout hit three home runs and raised his average to .528 while Shohei Ohtani did something that hasn’t been done since ‘Tungsten Arm’ O’Doyle of the 1921 Akron Groomsmen, as the Tigers defeated the Angels 8-3.”
every time I see an Angels highlight it's like "Mike Trout hit three homes runs and raised his average to .528 while Shohei Ohtani did something that hasn't been done since 'Tungsten Arm' O'Doyle of the 1921 Akron Groomsmen, as the Tigers defeated the Angels 8-3"
— ℳatt (@matttomic) May 18, 2021
The Angels have two of the best baseball players we’ve ever seen, and the team was last .500 or better in 2015 (despite three AL MVP awards coming from the Angels — two from Trout, one from Ohtani — in that span). Here they are again this year with a 44-61 record that featured a humiliating losing streak.
And, while Trout wasn’t part of the latest loss (he’s out with a back injury), the game still summarized English’s tweet beautifully.
The Angels hit seven home runs, including two from Ohtani… and lost 8-7 to an Oakland Athletics team that has the worst record in the AL.
FINAL: Angels 7, Athletics 8 pic.twitter.com/olQ9c5zFZT
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) August 4, 2022
https://twitter.com/MrMatthewCFB/status/1555337774793998336
Seven solo home runs, and a loss. Incredible.
The Angels become the first team in MLB history to hit seven solo homers and not score a run otherwise. And they’re the sixth team all-time to hit seven homers in a game and lose.
The @Angels are the first team in MLB history to hit 7 solo home runs and score no other runs in a game.
They are also just the 6th team all-time to hit 7 homers in a game and lose.
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) August 4, 2022
The Angels scored 7 runs today, ALL on solo HR, and lost, 8-7
That's the most runs, all on solo HR, in a game all-time (prev record was 6)
It's also tied for the most solo HR by a team in a game all-time (6th instance, prior teams 4-1 in those games)
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) August 4, 2022
So, that’s the Angels, for ya.
Here’s a glimpse at how the baseball world is reacting to the Angels’ history-making loss:
Angels today:
– Hit 7 solo HR, tied for the most in a game by any team all-time
– 7 HR are tied for the most in a loss in MLB historyTeams are now 113-6 all-time when hitting 7 HR in a game h/t @EliasSports pic.twitter.com/9qaU4U2Ipd
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 4, 2022
Teams to hit 7 HR in a game and lose:
Angels, Today
Twins, 7/28/21
Blue Jays, 8/12/20
White Sox, 6/25/16
Tigers, 8/8/04
Tigers, 5/28/95— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) August 4, 2022
The Angels homered in the …
first inning
second inning
third inning
fourth inning
sixth inning
seventh inning
ninth inningand still lost. sheesh. pic.twitter.com/lNOfDXd09B
— Ryan Fagan (@ryanfagan) August 4, 2022
With how things have gone for them, it’s surprising the Angels didn’t hit 7 homers and only score six runs.
— Razzball (@Razzball) August 5, 2022
Shohei Ohtani today became the first Angel ever to hit multiple home runs in three different games that the team lost in one season. pic.twitter.com/FXZQPeg7aQ
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) August 5, 2022
Shohei Ohtani went 3-5 with two HRs as the Angels lost 8-7 to the Athletics, who are trying to be bad on purpose.
— Productive Outs (@ProductiveOuts) August 4, 2022
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.