The Los Angeles Angels got things going quickly and continued to add runs. The only uncertainty was how many they would ultimately have.
In the record-breaking 25-1 thrashing of the Colorado Rockies by the Angels on Saturday night, Mike Trout, Brandon Drury, Matt Thaiss, and Mickey Moniak all homered on consecutive pitches to start a 13-run third inning.
With their outstanding third inning, the Angels tied team records for runs and home runs and established franchise records for runs, hits (28), and margin of victory in a game.
The margin of victory was tied for the third-highest in the majors since 1900, behind Texas’s 30-3 victory over Baltimore in 2007 and Boston’s 29-4 victory over the St. Louis Browns in 1950.
“We were aggressive,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said. “We attacked pitches in the zone. Hitting gets contagious at times. Big boys get into something like that (in the third), it fires up the clubhouse.”
David Fletcher hit a three-run homer to cap an eight-run fourth as the Angels scored 21 runs on 17 hits in the third and fourth innings combined, sending 27 batters to the plate. Fletcher had three hits and five RBIs in his first game since being recalled from Salt Lake City.
Mike Trout watches his solo homer leave the yard in the third inning of the Angels’ 25-1 blowout win over the Rockies. Brandon Drury and Matt Thaiss also homered on the next two pitches.Getty Images
“I don’t think I’ve seen anything like that, honestly,” Fletcher said. “Starting with three homers in a row, pretty unbelievable. Hopefully we saved some for tomorrow.”
Hunter Renfroe and Mickey Moniak each had five hits and four RBIs for the Angels, who ended a three-game skid in a big way. Moniak stumbled around second base on a liner to center field in the sixth inning or his second double likely would have been a triple for the cycle.
“Just one after the other, the quality of at-bats we had today — incredible,” Moniak said. “To be able to do that in that (third) inning and the whole game was what led to a historic day.”
Brandon Drury watches his solo homer, one pitch after Mike Trout hit a solo blast, in the Angels’ 13-run third inning.AP
Drury had three hits and four RBIs and Trout had three hits and an RBI. Both were replaced in the fifth with the game well in hand. Every Angels starter had at least one hit, one RBI and a run scored. Major league home run leader Shohei Ohtani had a mostly quiet night, though, finishing with an RBI single in seven at-bats.
Griffin Canning (6-2) gave up four hits in six scoreless innings while striking out seven with a walk. He has won his last four decisions.
“The highlight of the night for me was how Griff threw the ball,” Nevin said.
Matt Thaiss belts a solo home run, one pitch after Brandon Drury’s solo shot, in the third inning of the Angels’ victory.Getty Images
Trout, Drury and Thaiss homered on consecutive pitches in the third off Chase Anderson (0-2).
It was the second time Anderson has given up homers on three straight pitches. It happened while he was with Toronto on Sept. 17, 2020, when the Yankees’ Brett Gardner, DJ LeMahieu and Luke Voit went deep against him.
Ohtani’s RBI single knocked out Anderson with two outs in the third inning. Drury followed with a two-run single off Matt Carasiti before Renfroe hit a three-run triple and newly acquired Eduardo Escobar singled in a run before Moniak’s homer.
The 13-run third set a Rockies record for runs given up in an inning, and the 24 runs marked the second-most.
“It’s one game,” Colorado manager Bud Black said.
Brenton Doyle homered for Colorado in the eighth.
