BALTIMORE: Shohei Ohtani turned a shaky start on the mound into another night of historic excellence.

Ohtani became the first starting pitcher since 1964 to reach base five times in a game as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Baltimore Orioles 9-5 on Monday (Tuesday in Manila). Ohtani had four hits and a walk, making up for his pitching struggles with a stellar performance at the plate. He hit a titanic three-run homer and finished a double shy of the cycle on a night the Orioles hit three home runs off him.

'I'm sure all those records come because the sample size is so small, so I don't really look too deeply into it,' Ohtani said through a translator.

The sample size — of players who can hit and pitch like this — is indeed small. That is, of course, what makes Ohtani such a marvel. The last person to reach base five times in a game he started on the mound was Mel Stottlemyre of the New York Yankees, on Sept. 26, 1964, against Washington.

Ohtani (5-1) allowed five runs on four hits in seven innings, but he did plenty of damage with a bat in his hands.