Angels top Orioles as Mike Trout homers on his birthday for the 3rd time

 Mike Trout was thrilled when the fans in the Angel Stadium outfield seats serenaded him with a birthday song in the first inning.
A few minutes later, Trout gave them quite a present.
Trout homered on his birthday for the third time in his career, and Chris Iannetta delivered a go-ahead, two-run double in the Los Angeles Angels' 8-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.

Trout celebrated his 24th birthday by going 2 for 3 with two walks and scoring two runs, but he also added another unique moment to his superlative career.
The reigning AL MVP hit his major league-leading 33rd homer off Baltimore starter Kevin Gausman, blasting it to the fake rock pile beyond left-center.
Trout also homered on his birthday in 2012 and 2013, becoming the first player in major league history to hit three birthday homers before even turning 25.


"I think that gave me the chills," Trout said of the first-inning chorus from the stands. "To have fans sing me 'Happy Birthday,' it means a lot. It's huge."
Trout's 131st career homer was his first of August and his first in six games, ending a 1-for-20 slump for the four-time All-Star. Only Eddie Mathews, Mel Ott and Ken Griffey Jr. hit more homers before their 24th birthday in major league history.

Pinch-hitter C.J. Cron hit a two-run homer in the seventh for the Angels, who trimmed Houston's lead in the AL West to 1 1-2 games with their third win in four games following a six-game skid.
David Murphy, Johnny Giavotella and David DeJesus all drove in runs for the Angels, but Iannetta boosted his average to .193 by coming through with a two-out, two-strike double off the wall in the sixth. He connected on the 98th pitch by Gausman (2-3), who gave up nine hits and six runs.
"It's been a rough year, but I was finally able to barrel one up, and it felt really good," Iannetta said. "This was a really good team win with a lot of contributions from everybody."