In a historic showdown between three-time MVPs, Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout twice.

The last time Shohei Ohtani faced Mike Trout as a pitcher was crucial for a championship.

In the final of the 2023 World Baseball Classic, the Samurai Japan team was poised to defeat the USA team, with the stage set for an exciting clash between two baseball legends. Ohtani was prepared to pitch the final inning, while Trout stood in the batter's box as the last out for the USA team.

After throwing a full count, Trout swung and missed at the slider, and Ohtani joyfully leaped off the mound.

“As a baseball fan, I think everyone wants to see a scene like that,” Trout said after the game. “He won the first round.”

It has been over two years since the resumption, as Ohtani and Trout returned to the Angels after the Classic, sharing the clubhouse for their sixth season. After moving to the Dodgers through free agency, Ohtani took on only hitting duties in 2024 due to recovery from a second elbow surgery.

It was not until today, in a game where the Dodgers lost 6-5, that Shohei Ohtani faced the Angels as a pitcher for the first time in his career. Ohtani easily triumphed in his second and third confrontations with Trout, striking him out both times—first with a slider and then with a fastball clocked at 100.7 mph. However, he also allowed a season-high of 4 runs, marking the first time this year he pitched into the fifth inning.

This marks the first pitching and hitting matchup between three-time MVPs in Major League history.

“I felt I executed very well in my two at-bats against him,” Ohtani said through translator Will Ireton. “Looking back at my pitching today, the key was execution. When I didn’t execute, they took advantage.”

It has been nearly two years since Shohei Ohtani last stepped on the mound at Angel Stadium. His last start for the Angels was on August 23, 2023, when he exited early due to a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching arm.

But before Ohtani faced his former team as a pitcher, he had to fulfill his role as a trailblazer for the Dodgers.

Ohtani became the first starting pitcher since 1900 to hit a triple in a game, scoring on a hit by first baseman Mookie Betts. He had more time to adjust between his dual duties on the road; unlike at home, where he typically had only about two minutes to get from the mound to the batter's box in the first inning. His teammates bought him extra time—perhaps a bit too much.

Will Smith hit a deep shot, giving the Dodgers a three-run lead in the first inning, and the offensive momentum continued. The Dodgers' hitters nearly forced Ohtani back to the on-deck circle before Kyle Hendricks resolved the inning.

In today's Angels starting lineup, all but two players were Ohtani's former teammates, meaning most of them had not faced him in a game before. Ohtani retired all batters in order in the first inning but gave up two runs in the second, starting with a leadoff home run to Taylor Ward, followed by a double from Yoán Moncada, who later scored on a sacrifice fly.

Ohtani faced little trouble in the third and fourth innings, but after striking out the first batter in the fifth, the Angels began to rally. Logan O'Hoppe and Bryce Teodosio hit consecutive singles, and Zach Neto drove them in with a double, ending Ohtani's outing after 4.1 innings.

“It was just a matter of how to get his pitches into the strike zone,” Neto said. “His stuff was electric. It was really tough, especially the first time I faced him, he struck me out. So the key was to capitalize on my pitch, which would be his mistake, and not to miss it. I did that.”

For the Dodgers, it was a series they would rather forget, as they relinquished their position atop the NL West to the Padres after leaving Anaheim. But for Ohtani, returning to the ballpark where he spent his first six seasons in the majors held special significance.

“I have many great memories in this ballpark. It’s one of my favorite stadiums,” Ohtani said. “So being able to stand on this mound again is a very important mark for me.”