Mike Trout hits a birthday home run for record-tying sixth time in Angels win over Marlins

MIAMI – Birthdays seem to agree with Mike Trout. 

Trout turned 35 on Friday and he wasted no time getting right to the festivities. In his first at-bat of the day against the Miami Marlins, Trout connected on a fastball on the inside edge of the zone and sent it 400 feet for his 19th home run of the season. 

But more than that, it was the sixth time in Trout’s career that he’s hit a home run on his birthday, tying Alex Rodriguez and Mark Reynolds for most career birthday home runs. 

Trout’s solo shot would be the only offense that the Angels had for a while, and it was just the boost that George Klassen needed in his second start of the season and his first since being called up from Triple-A Salt Lake earlier in the day. 

Klassen's Return

Klassen was successful in his return outing, going four innings while allowing one earned run on four hits and four walks and striking out three, but he did leave the fourth inning having walked in the tying run in the bottom of the fourth inning.

The Marlins took the lead in the bottom of the sixth when Kyle Stowers singled up the middle to drive in Jakob Marsee from second, but the Marlins’ lead didn’t last long. 

Josh Lowe walked to lead off the top of the seventh, and a sacrifice bunt from Tyler Heineman and a ground out from Wade Meckler advanced Lowe to third with two outs and brought the birthday boy Mike Trout back to the plate. 

Trout fell behind fast 0-2, then held back on a sweeper well out of the zone to make the count 1-2. 

On the next pitch, a curveball just inside of the zone, Trout muscled a ground ball straight up the middle. It should have been an easy out, but Marlins pitcher Josh Elkness mishandled the chopper and Trout beat out the throw at first to advance on the error, driving in Lowe in the process to tie the game up 2-2. 

Schanuel's Heroics

That brought up Nolan Schanuel, a Florida native himself and not the most notorious power hitter in the Angels’ lineup. 

Yet, Schanuel ripped a 0-1 sweeper to center field for a two-run home run, his seventh of the season, to give the Angels the lead 4-2. 

Schanuel’s go-ahead bomb was enough run support for the Angels to take the game, but that doesn’t mean it was easy from that point on. 

José Fermin came in to close for the Halos, but gave up a RBI single to Leo Jiménez to drive in Aguistín Ramírez and make it just  a 4-3 ballgame. 

Things got worse for Fermin in the next at-bat against Javier Sanoja, who ripped a double down the left field line that threatened to drive in Jiménez and tie the game. 

But a laser from Jose Siri in left field to Denzer Guzman at third and finally Heineman at home was enough to catch Jimenez just in the nick of time and seal the game for the Halos 4-3.