ANAHEIM, Calif. — Making his MLB debut in a tough spot, Davis Daniel was the second reliever out of the bullpen in what the Angels knew would be a bullpen game. Going three scoreless innings after entering in the 4th, Daniel was able to give the Angels some much needed long relief. While this was Daniel’s first MLB appearance, it was not his first time in a MLB clubhouse. Having been called up once before without making an appearance, Daniel was asked about that experience when speaking with reporters prior to his MLB debut.
“It was good and bad,” Daniel said. “It was nice to kinda get my feet wet a little bit and kinda get comfortable in the clubhouse with a bunch of the guys, and kinda know what the daily routine looks like up here. I think it will make it easier to settle in this time, and hopefully go out there and get in the game.”
Daniel did indeed get in the game, pitching three scoreless innings, but they certainly didn’t come easy. Giving up two hits while also walking three batters, Daniel had quite a bit of traffic on the bases, but was able to pitch around it and give the Angels what they needed out of the bullpen.
The Angels were once again without Shohei Ohtani for this game, but the two-way superstar was seen warming up on the field prior to the game. Angels manager Phil Nevin spoke pregame on Ohtani, and told reporters, “We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. He’s moving around good, and the swings were close, but not enough to start tonight. I just don’t feel comfortable with him taking a full swing. I think he could be back within a day or two.”
Nevin spoke on what it says about Ohtani that he is working this hard to get back on the field, saying, “I think it just says a lot about who he is. And just for the record, he really wants to play right now. He’s upset about it. He wants to play. It’s just a credit to who he is. If he starts something, he wants to finish it. He wants to be out there, but these things can be finicky sometimes, so we’re getting more tests.”
In additional news, rookie Nolan Schanuel continued the impressive start to his MLB career, singling in the 7th inning to extend his on-base streak 16 games. This broke an Angels franchise record for the most consecutive games reaching base to start a career, surpassing the previous record of 15 games set by Darin Erstad in 1996.
Getting to Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase in the 9th inning, the Angels were able to wake up their offense that had been quiet all night to deliver an exciting walk-off win. In what has been a disappointing season for the Angels, there were some major bright spots on Thursday with the debut of Daniel, history for Schanuel, the looming return of Ohtani, and a victory.
