ANAHEIM, Calif. _ Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Andrew Heaney did not win his 10th game of the season Wednesday night.
Not that it mattered. The Angels beat the Texas Rangers 3-2 to complete a three-game sweep after Shohei Ohtani scorched a go-ahead solo home run into the visitors' bullpen with one out in the eighth inning. The rookie phenom launched the Angels to their 14th victory of the season over the Rangers.
Ohtani's late heroics wouldn't have been possible if Heaney hadn't hurled a magnificent, seven-inning start to end his comeback season. He allowed just two earned runs _ on solo homers from Adrian Belre and Jurickson Profar _ and scattered seven hits in his 30th start of the year. He entered the third inning having thrown 40 pitches because of a three-hit, three-strikeout second frame. But he settled down, needing just 60 pitches to get through his final five innings.
Heaney was at 84 pitches after six innings. Manager Mike Scioscia could have elected to bring in reliever Jose Alvarez, who had begun to warm up in the bottom of the sixth inning. But Heaney emerged for the seventh, pitched a perfect frame and handed the ball over for good.
The seven innings gave Heaney 180 innings pitched for the season.
Heaney hadn't put his elbow through at least 180 innings of work since he threw 184 innings in 2015, his first season in the Angels' organization. He'd slotted into the Angels' rotation as their No. 2 starter the next season. But what began as a strain of the flexor muscle in his left arm sent that 2016 campaign off the rails after one start. It eventually led Heaney to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery after follow-up MRI exams revealed damage of the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow. He returned to a major league mound ahead of schedule in August of 2017.
Although elbow inflammation held Heaney out of the Angels' rotation at the end of spring training, he rejoined the roster on April 13 and never returned to the disabled list. As other Angels starters fell victim to injury, Heaney remained Scioscia's only constant.
Heaney will still be searching for double-digit win totals in 2019, as he ends this season with a 9-10 record and a 4.15 earned-run average.
But logging 180 innings _ and throwing at least 100 pitches in an outing for the eighth time this season _ will have to be enough for now.
