NEW YORK – History is hard to chase, even when you’re a superstar and future Hall of Famer.
That’s the case for Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout right now.
Trout entered the Angels matchup against the New York Mets with 998 career RBI, just two away from a major milestone and becoming the 307th player in MLB history with 1,000 RBI or more. Throughout the game against the Mets that eventually ended in a 3-2 loss for the Angels, Trout had several opportunities to etch his name even further into history.
In the fifth, seventh and ninth Trout had runners on and with the Angels trailing by one in the latter two innings, a chance to take the lead for Los Angeles alongside his potential achievement.
Two of those at-bats ended in swinging strikeouts for the Angels superstar and in the ninth with two outs Trout ended the game with a pop up to the infield.
Robert Sloter – The Sporting Tribune
Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels heads to the dugout after striking out against the New York Mets at Citi Field on July 22, 2025 in Flushing, NY.
It was a hard night for the Angels offense as a whole. They had jumped out to a 2-0 lead by the fifth inning with a solo home run by outfielder Jorge Soler in the second and a RBI double by first baseman Nolan Schanuel in the fifth to pad the the lead.
“It’s tough. Obviously, we had a lot of hits. We left some guys on, runners in scoring position,” Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery said in a televised postgame interview. “Didn’t through in situations and that happens. Unfortunately, we couldn’t push a couple extra across when we had the chance.
The Angels continued to have opportunities to tack on some insurance runs throughout the game, but struggled to execute with runners on base. Overall, the Angels left 10 runners on base while going 2-7 with RISP.
The stagnant offense with runners on allowed the Mets to take the lead with a three-run fifth inning on the back of a two-run home run by Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez and a go-head RBI single by outfielder Brandon Nimmo.
Robert Sloter – The Sporting Tribune
Luisangel Acuna #2 of the New York Mets steals second base against the Los Angeles Angels at Citi Field on July 22, 2025 in Flushing, NY.
The Mets could have blown the game open were it not for the Angels bullpen. Angels reliever Ryan Zeferjahn was on the mound in the bottom of the seventh with the bases loaded after an intentional walk to Mets outfielder Juan Soto to bring up first baseman Pete Alonso. Alonso has 21 home runs on the season so far and was in the position to do some damage.
Zeferjahn started the at-bat with a cutter that missed the zone for ball one, then delivered three straight sweepers for three straight strikes to end the inning and escape any damage.
The Angels look to avoid the sweep in New York with the final game of the series Wednesday, July 23 at 10:10 am PDT at Citi Field. The Angels are planning a bullpen game with Brock Burke likely to start, according to Montgomery.