ANAHEIM, Calif. — Anthony Rendon sent a long fly ball into the left-field corner in the seventh inning Thursday night, eliciting a full-throated roar from a sellout crowd of 44,723 in Angel Stadium, and when the right-field scoreboard flashed “HOME RUN,” it appeared the Angels had turned a one-run deficit into a one-run lead.
One little problem: The drive was foul. Third-base umpire Ryan Wills made the correct call, which was upheld by replay review, and Rendon grounded into a double play on the very next pitch, his frustration and futility emblematic of a mostly empty season opener for the Angels.
Two-way star Shohei Ohtani was dominant, giving up one run, four hits and striking out nine in 4 2/3 innings, but Houston left-hander Framber Valdez was even better on a scorching 93-degree night, blanking the Angels on two hits over 6 2/3 innings of the Astros’ 3-1 victory.
