The Mike Trout-led Los Angeles Angels set a new franchise record Saturday night during their huge 25-1 win over the Colorado Rockies in Denver.
Their 28 hits and 25 runs are both all-time team highs across their 62-year franchise history. The 24-run margin of victory is the widest over the last 16 years dating back to 2007 when the Texas Rangers defeated the Baltimore Orioles 30-3.
As well as Trout, Brandon Drury, Matt Thaiss, Mickey Moniak and David Fletcher also smashed home runs. They contributed to what was the worst loss in Rockies franchise history.
Making the feat more remarkable is that 2021 AL MVP Shohei Ohtani had just an RBI single to show from seven at-bats. The Japan international leads MLB in home runs with 25.
Despite an uncharacteristically quiet game, Ohtani still joined every other Angels starter in having at least a hit, an RBI and a run scored. Moniak, who had five hits and five runs from five at-bats, enjoyed himself in the Mile High City. "It was fun," Moniak said when interviewed on the field after the game via ESPN.
"We were putting together good at-bats, and that's kind of just what we do as a team. Today was just one of those days, where everyone was feeling good and we were getting the right pitches to hit. And we were able to capitalize on it."
Angels manager Phil Nevin was particularly pleased with their approach to the game. The positivity was all the more impressive after losing their previous three games.
"We were aggressive, we attacked pitches in the zone, and hitting gets contagious sometimes," Nevin said. "To be honest, we found some holes, and then the big blows added on some runs."
Rockies pitcher Chase Anderson, the first of four they wound up using in the blowout, took plenty of blame after allowing nine earned runs and ten hits. Colorado manager Bud Black was not particularly impressed, pinpointing "location" as what went wrong with the veteran's start.
"He'll be the first to tell you, there's too many balls from the midthigh to the belt. His style of pitching, there has to be balls at the knees and there has to be fastballs at the top of the zone. He has to move the ball in and out. And [tonight], there were just too many balls in the middle."
The emphatic win leaves the Angels narrowly ahead of the world-champion Houston Astros in the AL West after their divisional rivals lost to LA's city rivals, the Dodgers, on the same night.
Contrastingly, the big defeat was the ninth loss in their last ten games. Ironically, the only victory in the run came against the Angels on Friday.
Colorado remains dead last in the NL West standings. They are 16-and-a-half games back of the division-leading Arizona Diamondbacks and eight adrift of the fourth-placed San Diego Padres after their Saturday night defeat.
