Angels’ dramatic defeat: Shohei Ohtani denied by Aaron Judge, Phil Nevin ejected

NEW YORK — It’s nothing new for Angels manager Phil Nevin to get ejected. It’s part of his persona in the role. It happened four times in his 106 games at the helm last season. Speaking his mind to the umpires is what he does.

But it is pretty rare to be ejected twice in the same game. Immediately after Mike Trout was called for going around on a borderline swing at a full-count pitch in the ninth inning, Nevin lost it. First, it was first-base umpire Will Little who tossed him. Then it was the home-plate umpire Lance Barksdale who signaled for his exit moments later.

“I didn’t think Mike swung,” Nevin said after a 3-2 loss in 10 innings. “… Those are really tough for umpires. Just the situation coming up. I know (Yankees pitcher Clay) Holmes was having a hard time throwing strikes.”

“I didn’t think I went,” Trout added later. “… It was tough. Big moment.”

It was that kind of night for the Angels. And it’s been that kind of road trip. Frustration and missed opportunities. It’s been a taxing tour of the East Coast. In a week in which the Angels have lost three leads, the game they never led might be the most disappointing.

Here's the call in question: pic.twitter.com/JYDiHNmgtL

— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) April 20, 2023

The Angels were 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position. They stranded runners in five of the first seven innings. The final chance in the 10th proved the most costly. Trout didn’t break for home with the infield in on a grounder to the left side.

They had finally broken through in the eighth when ex-Yankee Gio Urshela tied the game against his former team. He blooped a single into center field that brought home Hunter Renfroe to make it 2-2.

It was the only time Wednesday night in which the Angels truly converted.

In the first inning, they suffered some bad luck. Center fielder Aaron Judge robbed Shohei Ohtani of a home run — bringing the ball back in with his glove, then corralling it with his bare hand. He made another run-saving diving catch immediately after Urshela’s equalizer in the eighth.

The Angels have led in all but two of their games this season. The 9-9 record isn’t bad. They’re competitive. They’re in a position to make a run if they can string together wins. But there also has to be a “what if” element to the season’s first three weeks.

This was one of the games in which they never led. But the chances were there for a win. Self-inflicted mistakes combined with a few bad breaks cost them again.

“We had a lot of chances tonight, myself included at the plate,” Trout said. “Sometimes that’s how it goes.”

Trout was at third base in the 10th inning. He was the free runner. There was one out. Renfroe bounced a ball to third. It wasn’t hit particularly hard at 73 mph off the bat, and DJ LeMahieu had to go to the ground to field it. The play wasn’t necessarily his fault because there was no run-on-contact play called from the bench.

“It would have been a close play,” Trout said. “Obviously, you look at it. If I take off, it would have been a tough play.”

Typically, the coaching staff will decide to have the runner either see the ball go through the infield. Or they’ll have a call to run on contact.

Trout said the plan was to see the ball go through the infield. Nevin acknowledged after the game that Trout — who has elite sprint speed — would have forced a close play at the plate. Nevin notably had already been ejected at that point in the game.

“It’s a tough call there with the infield in, and we’ve got good hitters behind Hunter too,” Nevin said. “… Would Mike have scored? He’s one of the quicker guys in the game, and he’s a good base runner. I would have liked our chances there.”

The Angels have played a lot of close games. And in close losses, there will always be small plays, what-ifs, and little mistakes that feel magnified. But they have piled up for the Angels. Trout not running was within the Angels’ control. The check swing call was not.

It all adds up to the same result for the Angels. Another loss that — with 11 runners left on base — could just as easily have been a win.

This is a .500 team that probably feels like it could be, at this early stage, so much more.

Angels extras

• José Suarez will make his next turn in the rotation, Nevin said. It has been a slog for Suarez, who has a 9.26 ERA in 11 2/3 innings over three starts. He’s allowed 21 hits and has walked seven, including six on Tuesday night.

• Angels Triple-A starter Chase Silseth exited Wednesday with a blister after throwing five shutout innings. It is unclear if he’ll need to go on the injured list. David Fletcher has reported to Triple A but has yet to appear in a game.

• Luis Rengifo is scheduled to start Thursday after not playing the last three games. Nevin said Rengifo missing a pair of signs over the weekend were more miscommunications, and that not playing over the last three days wasn’t a punishment.

• Griffin Canning pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed two runs to the Yankees. It was his second consecutive start since coming off the IL in which he allowed two runs and pitched five innings. He struck out four, walked three, and got in a groove after allowing a first-inning homer to Judge. “I feel really prepared for this. I’ve been working for this for a year and a half,” Canning said.

(Photo of Phil Nevin and first-base umpire Will Little: Brad Penner / USA Today)