Mike Trout home run daily: A pennant race against the Rangers

Today’s Mike Trout home run came in the midst of a playoff chase for the Angels in late September 2017. Entering play on Sept. 17 against Texas at home, the Angels were 76-72, just one game back of Minnesota for the second wild card spot.

The Angels won the first two games, though Trout was in the midst of a mini-slump, just 3-for-17 (.176) in his last five games. This was a chance to sweep on a Sunday afternoon in Anaheim.

Trout walked early but the Rangers built a 3-0 lead, cut into a bit with a sacrifice fly by Trout in the fifth. The Angels’ deficit moved to 4-1 when Trout took Matt Bush deep in the eighth inning, into the waterfalls in center field.

Trout’s home run cut the Rangers lead to 4-2, but the Angels wouldn’t score again.

It was the 29th home run of the season for Trout, made even more remarkable by him missing 39 games earlier in the year with a torn thumb ligament. It was Trout’s 197th career home run.