Shohei Ohtani's leadoff homer powers Dodgers to 7-2 win over Guardians
Cleveland Guardians' Gavin Williams delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Monday, May 26, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto walks to the mound during the third inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Monday, May 26, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani watches his solo home run off Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, May 26, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, right, is congratulated by third base coach Dino Ebel, left, after hitting a solo home run off Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, May 26, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, right, is congratulated by third base coach Dino Ebel, left, after hitting a solo home run off Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, May 26, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani runs after hitting a solo home run off Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, May 26, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Cleveland Guardians' Gavin Williams delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Monday, May 26, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto walks to the mound during the third inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Monday, May 26, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani watches his solo home run off Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, May 26, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, right, is congratulated by third base coach Dino Ebel, left, after hitting a solo home run off Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, May 26, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
CLEVELAND (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff homer for the second straight game and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Cleveland Guardians 7-2 on Monday night.
Will Smith also went deep for the Dodgers, who bounced back after dropping two of three games in New York to the Mets.
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Los Angeles' first five hitters accounted for seven of its eight hits.
Ohtani didn't waste any time in hitting his major league-leading 19th homer of the season. He drove a low, inside fastball from Gavin Williams (4-3) on the first pitch into the right-field stands. It was the second time this year he went deep on the first pitch.
It was Ohtani's fifth leadoff homer this season and 17th since arriving in the majors from Japan in 2018. It is the first time he has had 19 home runs in the majors before June 1.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (6-3) allowed two runs in six innings and struck out seven. The Japanese right-hander has a 1.97 ERA, which ranks sixth in the majors.
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Key moment
The Dodgers got a pair of insurance runs in the fifth on Teoscar Hernández's RBI single and Max Muncy's sacrifice fly.
Key stat
Cleveland's José Ramírez extended his hitting streak to a career-high 19 games with a pair of doubles. He is batting .387 (29 for 75) with 12 extra-base hits and 11 RBIs during that span.
Up next
Los Angeles RHP Dustin May (2-4, 4.09 ERA) faces Cleveland RHP Tanner Bibee (4-4, 3.57 ERA) in the middle game of the series.
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Poirier connected with more power. As the final horn rang, the only unhappy people in the arena may have been the three judges who had to determine the winner. In the end, 'The Diamond' still got his storybook ending, even in defeat. Advertisement 'I didn't know I touched as many people as I did just by chasing my dreams. I'm forever grateful, I love you all. I'm a kid living my dream,' he said. After a tribute video narrated by numerous legendary UFC champions, Poirier couldn't hold back his tears as he gave his final thanks to the promotion and the fanbase. 'Thank you for following my journey and playing a part of it,' he told The Athletic he wanted to tell his longtime supporters. 'I've always given my all. I've never cut corners; I was always dedicated. I really gave this sport my all, and I appreciate everybody who followed the journey, man. … So I'm just thankful for the sport, thankful for the fans. Thanks for the company, and it's been a blessing, man.' There was no championship gold on the line Saturday, but there was symbolic silver. The BMF belt, which Holloway won by knocking out Justin Gaethje in a 2024 thriller, was on the line, and Holloway leaves New Orleans as the first BMF champion to ever defend the belt. 'I love you Louisiana, I know I had to be the villain and I'm sorry, but thank you for the hospitality,' Holloway told the crowd afterward before stepping out of the way, 'This ain't my moment, I'm done talking, this is Dustin's retirement fight, give it up for the man.' With his gloves left in the octagon, Poirier's career ends with a record of 30-10 (22-9 in the UFC). Entering the night, Poirier had never previously lost twice in a row. Holloway was facing the tarnishing of his legacy by going 0-3 in two separate high-profile trilogies. Something had to give, someone had to lose and the fans were bound to win. Laying the gloves down 🫡 [ #UFC318 | @DustinPoirier ] — UFC (@ufc) July 20, 2025 The pair's first battle came in 2012, which marked Holloway's UFC debut. Fighting on the UFC 143 prelims, the featherweight youngsters gave a glimpse of the striking legends they would become before Poirier pulled off a stunning triangle armbar. When they faced again in 2019, Holloway's career was in the stratosphere. 'Blessed' entered the rematch, which was for the interim lightweight title, as the featherweight champion riding a 13-fight winning streak and having defended his title three times. But that night belonged to Poirier as the Louisianian showcased his power advantage on the feet and unbreakable cardio in the championship rounds to win via unanimous decision. Advertisement It would go down as Poirier's lone night of walking out of a UFC octagon holding gold, a fleeting moment of championship validation in a career showered with arenas of adoration. But Poirier said he doesn't look back with any regrets or frustrations for what could have been. 'My goal from the beginning was to find out how good of a fighter I could be, and I did that,' he told The Athletic. 'I did everything that I had and gave everything that I had to put myself in that position to fight the best guys in the world and to travel and learn from the best people in the world and dedicate myself to the sport to find out how good I could be and how far I could take this. And I did. I walked those steps and did this journey and found out.' He would lose that belt to Khabib Nurmagomedov in a title unification bout later that year and find himself staring down a career crossroads. Continue chasing the belt, and risk becoming a divisional gatekeeper who couldn't win the big one but seemingly beat everyone else? Or chase the paychecks, cash in on his acclaim and pick the flashiest fights at the risk of his resume. In typical Poirier fashion, he picked both. He first waged a bloodstained war against Dan Hooker, a legendary slugfest that Poirier told The Athletic was one of his favorite memories as a fighter. Then came two timeless clashes with kingpin Conor McGregor in 2021 — the first a second-round ending in a knockout as Poirier stunned the MMA world, the second in a gruesome leg injury that left McGregor sidelined for good. #OnThisDay in 2021: @DustinPoirier became the first man to KO Conor McGregor 👊 Watch all three of their fights back on @UFCFightPass today! — UFC (@ufc) January 24, 2023 Poirier parlayed the fame of those wins into title shots against Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev, both of which Poirier lost via submission. But between those setbacks were wins that re-established his legitimacy, first by crushing Michael Chandler and second by dismantling Benoît Saint-Denis. Advertisement But after the Makhachev loss in 2024, Poirier said he was at peace with the fighting chapter of his life coming to an end. 'That was my third title shot at undefeated gold, and I just don't know if I have it in me to put together what it's gonna take to get a fourth crack at a world title,' Poirier said. The damage on his 36-year-old body had piled up after 40-plus fights, particularly so after the Makhachev battle. A week after the loss, Poirier said he was dealing with a broken nose, broken rib and a partially torn ACL. With a family waiting at home and his legacy more than secure, Poirier was ready to leave his gloves in the cage for good, with no illusions of looking back. This was it. 'I have a daughter at home, have a bunch of businesses that keep me super busy back in Louisiana and my wife's pregnant. It's just a time in my life where I want to leave this sport healthy,' he said last week. 'And that's just it, be a dad. Be home, be normal. … I don't know what it is to be like a normal civilian, not a fighter. I want to see what that's like.'
