Mike Trout has terrorized the New York Yankees for three straight games. Going 5-14 with four home runs, seven RBI, and five runs. Meaning the Los Angeles Angels have won three straight in the Bronx and are looking to complete a four-game sweep on Thursday, right? No, the Angels have instead lost two out of three with two one-run heartbreakers. Serving as a great microcosm for Trout’s Hall of Fame career.
Mike Trout’s Angels Career
Trout was drafted 25th overall in the first round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft by the Angels. He has put up otherworldly numbers with the Angels in his 16-year career in Anaheim. Collecting 11 all-star appearances and winning the American League MVP award three times. Additionally, finishing in the top five in MVP voting nine times! But how many postseason appearances have the Angels had during his career? One. They faced the Kansas City Royals in the 2014 American League Division Series, getting swept 3-0. Trout has amassed an 88.7 WAR in his career and would go down as one of the greatest players of all time with so few postseason appearances.
Yes, he has dealt with a lot of injuries recently, but that happens as players get older. Trout is a player who has earned the postseason spotlight far more than he has gotten. The fact that the Angels failed to build around Shohei Ohtani and Trout, two of the best talents in the sport, for six seasons is an absolute travesty. Trout is out of his prime, and the Angels, in a strong AL, are currently projected to finish 69-93, per PECOTA.
He is not leaving the Angels anytime soon. Trout is currently making $37 million annually for the next five seasons, including 2026. He will not hit free agency until 2031 in his age-39 season. Barring a massive philosophical change from Angels’ owner Arte Moreno, the Angels’ postseason drought is also not ending anytime soon. We are staring down the very real possibility of Trout reaching age 39 with just one career postseason appearance. Making this microcosm of Trout’s career at Yankee Stadium this week all the more sad. When you think about the talent we have been mostly robbed of seeing in the postseason for 16 years and counting.
Can Mike Trout Stay Healthy This Year?
Now that postseason doom and gloom talk is behind us. Let’s talk about Trout playing in the regular season this year. Although the 9-10 Angels are unlikely to reach the postseason (sorry), the regular season is still a marathon. If we can get the second straight season of at least 130 games for Trout, that will make this season much more enjoyable.
Mike Trout has 4 homers through the first 3 games of this series 🤯 https://t.co/CCowx9ajJ4 pic.twitter.com/2nBcgao57G
— MLB (@MLB) April 16, 2026
That’s a big if, as Trout played in a combined 111 games in 2023-24. But when he’s healthy, he is one of the best players in baseball and a highlight machine. Giving the Angels a chance to win every night. Despite the front office’s best efforts to fight that.
Absolute Fireworks in the Bronx on Monday
The loss in Monday’s game was especially painful. Fans in attendance got to see one of the best regular-season games of the season so far. Aaron Judge kicked off the festivities with a 456-foot two-run homer to center off Yusei Kikuchi to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Jose Caballero followed with a 370-foot two-run homer of his own to left in the second inning to give the Yankees a 4-0 lead.
The Angels responded in the top of the fourth with a four-run inning to tie the game. The Yankees struck right back in the bottom of the fifth with their third home run of the game. A Trent Grisham three-run home run. Trout decided it was time for him to join the fireworks and hit a 421-foot three-run bomb to left center, tying the game at 7-7. Judge told Trout to hold his beer and hit a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth to give the Yankees an 8-7 lead.
After the Angels tied it in the top of the seventh on a sac-fly, Trout told Judge to hold a bigger beer in the eighth. Hitting a 445-foot home run to left center off of Camilo Doval to give the Angels a 10-8 lead.
Most baseball fans would feel blessed to see a multi-homer game from either Judge or Trout in person. To see both players do just that on the same night is truly special! It’s baseball at its best, which is what Trout brings to the table every time he takes the plate.
Unfortunately for Trout, they weren’t the only two to have multi-homer games Monday night. With no outs in the bottom of the ninth, Grisham hit his second home run, 391 feet to right center, bringing in Jazz Chisholm Jr. to tie the game at 10. After a Caballero double, the meltdown was on for the Angels. Caballero stole third, Austin Wells walked, and Caballero scored the game-winning run off a wild pitch by Jordan Romano. An absolute thriller of a game, but Trout’s herculean effort was outdone by Judge and Grisham.
More Heartbreak
Following a dominant 7-1 win on Tuesday, Trout experienced De-Ja Vu on Wednesday. Judge yet again kicked off the festivities with a 382-foot solo homer to right. Although it happened much earlier this time, Trout yet again hit the go-ahead home run with a two-run home run to right center in the fifth to give the Angels a 4-3 lead. They held that lead until the ninth. Which started more promisingly this time for Romano. With Giancarlo Stanton leading off the inning with a lineout. But the Angels botched a pop-up, which allowed Chisholm Jr. to reach. Chisholm Jr. stole second, Wells walked, and yet again Caballero was the hero, as he brought both runners home with a walk-off double.
Trout and Judge are likely to put on another show for the series finale on Thursday. The Angels have a chance to leave Yankee Stadium with a 2-2 split ahead of a home series vs the San Diego Padres. But even a split has to feel sour. Considering how close the Angels were to being up 3-0 in this series. That’s why this is the perfect microcosm and reminder of Trout’s career to this point. To put it simply, Trout has an otherworldly performance, draws attention from the baseball world, and the Angels come up short.
Main Photo Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
