The Los Angeles Angels came up just short on Sunday, losing 5-4 to the Boston Red Sox. This loss was extra crushing as the Angels put themselves in a great position to get a go-ahead run at the end of the game.
The Angels were trailing by one run, and managed to get Mike Trout back at the plate, easily the top player the Angels would want at the plate in a crucial end of game situation. The 11-time All-Star and three-time former MVP is the most trusted person in the lineup during a game-deciding situation like this, but Trout struck out, ending the game.
“That’s what every baseball player wants, to be in that spot in the ninth,” Trout said, Jeff Fletcher of the OC Register. “I didn’t come through. I need to be better. Especially early in the season, I feel like I’ve had a lot of chances with guys on base. I’ll be better.”
It didn’t take long for Trout to make up for the moment, as on Monday, he hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the eighth inning in an eventual 7-3 win over the Rays.
Trout isn’t only talking the talk, but walking the walk. He didn’t just say he would be better, but he immediately acted upon it, and helped the Angels get a big win over the Rays on Monday.
Those are the types of things a team wants to see from their leader and best player.