Mike Trout leads Angels to uncharted territories

The Los Angeles Angels are off to a rare start in the 2026 season, winning their first two games after a 6-2 win versus the Houston Astros on Friday. This 2-0 start is the Angels’ best opening since 2007, ending a 19-year drought that spans the entirety of franchise legend Mike Trout’s career. Since being drafted in 2009, the three-time MVP has weathered 10 consecutive losing seasons and no playoff appearances since 2014.

Through two games, Trout is 4-for-6 with two home runs and four walks across 10 plate appearances. He is batting .667 with an .800 on-base percentage, and his fifth-inning solo shot on Friday made it the first time in his 16-year MLB career that he has homered in each of his first two games of a season. He also swiped a base and hammered out three hits in the second matchup.

Meanwhile, Josh Lowe, acquired in a January 16 trade, went 2-for-4 with a double and a three-run home run that broke a 1-1 tie in the second inning. Zach Neto contributed a double and a ninth-inning homer, giving him two extra-base hits in the game.

On the pitching side, Yusei Kikuchi allowed two earned runs on eight hits over 4⅓ innings, striking out three and walking one while throwing 86 pitches. The bullpen has combined for 7⅔ scoreless innings over the first two games. In Friday’s win, Chase Silseth, Ryan Zeferjahn, Sam Bachman, and Jordan Romano held Houston scoreless over the final 4⅔ innings, with Zeferjahn retiring all six batters he faced and Bachman striking out three.

The Angels will look to carry their momentum into game three of the four-game set against the Astros on Saturday.

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