Shohei Ohtani flies home against the Yankees

ANAHEIM – There is apparently nothing that Shohei Ohtani can’t do on a baseball field, and on Tuesday against the Yankees he did something he had never done before.

The two-way star stole home for the first time in his four-year career in a three-point rally in the fifth inning for the Angels. With runners in the first and third row, Phil Gosselin stole the second and Ohtani managed to fly home on a double steal. Ohtani made an incredible slip past wide receiver Gary Sánchez, just beating the home throw from shortstop Gio Urshela.

It was the second stolen base of the game for Ohtani, who is the favorite for the American League MVP title before September. Ohtani leads the Majors with 42 homers and also has 22 stolen goals. He is only the fourth player in AL history with at least 42 homers and 22 goals stolen in one season, joining Jose Canseco (1988, ’91, ’98), Alex Rodriguez (’98, 2007) and Ken Griffey Jr. (’99). And he’s also 8-1 with a 3.00 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 105 innings in 19 starts on the mound.

Ohtani was intentionally walked with runners in the second and third with two strikeouts in the fifth. But the momentum turned against the Yankees, as Gosselin scored a two-run single over right-hander Jameson Taillon. Reliever Joely Rodríguez came on but allowed the double steal, which was the Angels’ second of the game.

David Fletcher and Ohtani also had a second and third double steal in a three-run fourth inning. Gosselin put up a bunt for the first out, but Jared Walsh called with a three-point explosion to give the Angels the lead.