DETROIT -- Shohei Ohtani looked so eager to make an impact in his highly anticipated season debut that he swung so hard his helmet flew off his head more than once.
He finished 0 for 4 with an RBI groundout and walked once as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Detroit Tigers 5-2 Tuesday night.
"I was happy to get this out of the way," Ohtani said through a translator.
The Angels activated the AL Rookie of the Year from the injured list and it appeared simulated games didn't quite prepare him for the moment. Ohtani took a called third strike in his first at-bat, grounded out to help Los Angeles take a 3-0 lead in the third, struck out on a breaking pitch, lined out to third and drew a base on balls.
"Baseball is certainly not the type of sports that you focus on one night," Angels Manager Brad Ausmus said. "We're looking at using him as a DH for the vast majority of the next 4½ months. I'm not overly concerned about the immediate results, but just the long-term results."
The 24-year-old two-way player isn't expected to pitch this year as he recovers from the Tommy John surgery he had in October. But the Angels, who are under .500, are hoping he can provide a boost at the plate.
"He injects some offense, for sure," Ausmus said. "He's got big power."
Ohtani hit .285 with 22 home runs and 61 RBI in 367 plate appearances last year. He became the first player since Babe Ruth with at least 10 homers and four pitching wins in the same season. As a DH, Ohtani became the first player with 15 homers as a batter and 50 strikeouts as a pitcher in the same season.
He was 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA and 63 strikeouts over 51 2/3 innings in 10 starts, limited by a torn right elbow ligament that required surgery. Ohtani has said he has "no regrets" about last year when he hit for the Angels until season's end and delaying reconstructive surgery and his ability to pitch again until 2020.
Griffin Canning (1-0) earned the victory in his second career start.
Luke Bard and Ty Buttrey combined for 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief and Hansel Robles pitched the ninth for his third save in as many chances.
Daniel Norris (1-1) allowed 3 runs, 5 hits and 2 walks over 5 innings.
WHITE SOX 2, INDIANS 0 Lucas Giolito carried a shutout into the eighth inning and James McCann (Arkansas Razorbacks) stayed hot with an RBI single, leading the Chicago White Sox over the light-hitting, light-scoring Cleveland Indians. Giolito (3-1) didn't have to work hard against the Indians, who came in batting an AL-low .213 -- 13 points lower than the next closest team, and 62 behind the league-leading Houston Astros.
RED SOX 8, ORIOLES 5 Mitch Moreland hit a three-run home run and J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts also connected to help the Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles. After having their run of six consecutive games with a long ball snapped by Baltimore one night earlier, the Red Sox scored their first six runs on homers and won for the seventh time in nine games.
YANKEES 5, MARINERS 4 Cameron Maybin narrowly beat right fielder Jay Bruce's throw home on DJ LeMahieu's game-ending, ninth-inning hit, lifting the New York Yankees over the Seattle Mariners.
TWINS 3, BLUE JAYS 0 Jose Berrios allowed four hits in seven innings, Mitch Garver homered and the Minnesota Twins shut out the Toronto Blue Jays for the second consecutive game.
ROYALS 12, ASTROS 2 Whit Merrifield and Ryan O'Hearn each hit a grand slam to lead the Kansas City Royals over the Houston Astros.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
CUBS 5, MARLINS 2 Kris Bryant hit a tiebreaking three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning, lifting the Chicago Cubs over Miami. With runners on the corners, Bryant drove a 1-2 pitch from Adam Conley (1-4) through a strong wind and into the bleachers in left-center for his third career game-ending home run.
BREWERS 6, NATIONALS 0 Lorenzo Cain's three-run double with two outs in the seventh inning broke a scoreless tie and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Washington Nationals for their fifth consecutive victory.
PHILLIES 11, CARDINALS 1 Bryce Harper hit a grand slam, his first with the Phillies, and Rhys Hoskins added four hits, including a homer, to spark Philadelphia over St. Louis. Harper's home run capped a six-run second inning.
GIANTS 14, ROCKIES 4 Mac Williamson wasted no time after being promoted from Class AAA Sacramento, homering and driving in four runs to help the San Francisco Giants beat the Colorado Rockies.
INTERLEAGUE
RAYS 6, DIAMONDBACKS 3 Brandon Lowe homered on the first pitch in the bottom of the first inning, opener Ryne Stanek (Arkansas Razorbacks) and five other relievers combined on a seven-hitter, as Tampa Bay moved to a season-high 11 games over .500.
Tuesday’s games
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Milwaukee 6, Washington 0
Philadelphia 11, St. Louis 1
Chicago Cubs 5, Miami 2
San Francisco 14, Colorado 4
Atlanta at LA Dodgers, (n)
NY Mets at San Diego, (n)
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Chicago White Sox 2, Cleveland 0
NY Yankees 5, Seattle 4
Boston 8, Baltimore 5
Minnesota 3, Toronto 0
LA Angels 5, Detroit 2
Kansas City 12, Houston 2
INTERLEAGUE
Pittsburgh 5, Texas 4
Tampa Bay 6, Arizona 3
Cincinnati at Oakland, (n)
Sports on 05/08/2019