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Mother’s Day is just about over, with the sun setting on a time when we get to celebrate and praise all of the strong, kickass women around the world. Mother’s Day is near and dear to everybody’s hearts, mind you, but I have always thought it to be the most sentimental and heartfelt holiday for the actual MLB players. These dudes love their mamas, you can tell every year. That’s why it’s not really shocking that we’d see some Halos go above and beyond the call of duty at the Big A this afternoon, not only providing some theatrics and drama, but delivering in the third and final act, as well.
For much of today’s game, the story being typed into any baseball scribe’s writing program was Angels starter Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani was an absolute beast today, going 6.1 innings pitched, giving up just two walks and striking out ELEVEN! His stuff was a lesson in streamlined brutality, utterly in command and able to both power and finesse his way to a K with equal ease. After 103 pitches, though, Mike Scioscia thought his day was done and he called in our favorite bullpen piece, Cam Bedrosian.
At this point in the game, the Halos actually had a sketchy 1-0, thanks in part to a groundout from Justin Upton in the fifth...ya see, the Angels were having their own troubles against starting pitching today, as well, although Fernando Romero, while not shabby himself with his 5.0 IP and six Ks, is definitely no Ohtani. Still, that 1-0 was one thing with Ohtani on the bump, but it’s another when Bedrosian is out there.
Bedrosian had one of Ohtani’s batters on base when he took over, and of course he’d quickly give up an RBI to Joe Mauer, thus tying up the game and putting the lone blemish on to Ohtani’s stat line. Typical Bedrosian stuff, as far as I’m concerned, but the Angels didn’t dwell on that hiccup too much, and Ohtani still had received his little standing ovation for his job well done. The moms in attendance, and around the Halosphere, were doing their best cringey mom dances.
In the ninth inning, with the game all knotted up at 1-1, Zack Cozart at the dish and OF Chris Young on base and in scoring position, Cozart decided that the mothers shouldn’t have to wait in too much anticipation, nor should they have to sit in the sun any longer for extra innings, so he took these Mother’s Day matters into his own hands. Facing off against a namesake in Twins’ reliever Zach Duke, Cozart looped a single to left field and the Angel Stadium crowd erupted in a beautiful racket as the good guys got themselves a walk-off 2-1 victory.
Cozart was the hero at the plate, but the real stud of the day was Ohtani and his performance from the mound. The only thing that could have made this day better for all the ladies in attendance was have Mike Trout in the starting lineup; yep, Trout was given a “normal day off” by Mike Scioscia, so perhaps that’s why things were of such a nail-biter fashion. Either way, you can’t complain with the end result.
Here’s to the moms. You’re the greatest. Just ask Ohtani and Cozart.