
MLB/ Shohei Ohtani gives up his first homer of the season, then hits a 2-run shot of his own
LOS ANGELES--Shohei Ohtani gave up his first home run of the season when Minnesota's Byron Buxton took him deep. He promptly answered with a two-run shot of his own.
The Los Angeles Dodgers' two-way superstar left a breaking ball over the plate on his second pitch of the game and Buxton drove it 410 feet to the left field pavilion on Monday night. It was just the second time in six appearances as an opener this season that Ohtani has allowed a run.
Ohtani topped Buxton in the bottom of the inning. He blasted a two-run shot — his 35th of the season — 441 feet into center field off David Festa, giving the Dodgers a 2-1 lead after Mookie Betts led off with a walk.
He struck out swinging in the third.
Ohtani is the first Dodgers pitcher to homer in the first inning since Rick Rhoden at Montreal in July 1977. He has homered in three straight games for the slumping Dodgers, who have lost six straight at home for the first time since September 2017.
Ohtani allowed one run and four hits in three innings. He struck out three and walked one on 46 pitches, 30 for strikes.
'I like the demeanor on the mound,' Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the game. 'What to improve on I think the only thing right now in this small sample is just to continue to build up. The fastball, strike-throwing, the secondaries are all in a good spot.'
Ohtani pitched three scoreless innings against the San Francisco Giants in his previous mound start as he continues to work his way back from elbow surgery. He did not pitch at all last season, his first for the Dodgers.

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Yomiuri Shimbun
19 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Shohei Ohtani Aims to Break Dodgers' Consecutive HR Record as Team Hits the Road
LOS ANGELES, July 24 (Reuters) – Shohei Ohtani hit his fifth home run in as many games to help the Los Angeles Dodgers secure a 4-3 walkoff victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday, tying a franchise record and moving closer to setting a new mark when the team opens a nine-game road trip Friday in Boston. Ohtani gave the Dodgers an early advantage with a solo shot to left-center field in the first inning on a sun-soaked day at Dodger Stadium for his National League-leading 37th homer of the season. The Japanese slugger became the first MLB player to hit home runs in five consecutive games since Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees achieved the feat last season. He also matched the Dodgers' franchise record for consecutive games with a home run, a milestone reached five times previously, most recently by Max Muncy in 2019. The fear Ohtani puts in the hearts of opposing teams was laid bare when the Twins intentionally walked him with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, moving Mookie Betts into scoring position and Ohtani to first, where he represented the game-winning run. Esteury Ruiz followed with a walk to load the bases, and Freddie Freeman lined a single to left field that got under the glove of the diving Harrison Bader, sealing the win and snapping the Dodgers' recent slump. 'How we got here today, showing the fight and willing ourselves to get Freddie an at-bat to win a game like that, I'd like to think that is momentum building,' Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters. Ohtani, who signed a 10-year, $700 million deal with Los Angeles prior to last season, is the frontrunner for a second consecutive NL MVP award and fourth overall. After becoming the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season last year, Ohtani continues to produce at the plate, leading the NL in runs scored, slugging percentage and OPS. He returned to the mound last month for the first time since August 2023 following a second surgery on his right elbow. Roberts has limited Ohtani's workload, with the two-way star pitching six times for a total of 12 innings this season as the NL West-leading Dodgers pursue a second consecutive World Series title. The Dodgers open their road trip against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Friday.

Japan Times
2 days ago
- Japan Times
Ohtani extends homer streak to five in Dodgers win
Freddie Freeman hit a game-ending two-run single with two outs in the ninth inning, Shohei Ohtani hit a home run in his fifth consecutive game and the Los Angeles Dodgers pulled out a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday. The Dodgers' ninth-inning rally started with two outs on an infield single from Mookie Betts against right-hander Griffin Jax (1-5). Ohtani was walked intentionally to move the tying run to second base and Esteury Ruiz walked to load the bases. Freeman's sinking line drive to left just eluded the glove of a diving Harrison Bader. Right-hander Tyler Glasnow had season highs with 12 strikeouts in seven innings as the Dodgers won for just the fourth time in their past 15 games. Ohtani became the first MLB player to hit home runs in five consecutive games since New York Yankees star Aaron Judge last season. He also tied the Dodgers franchise record, done five previous times, most recently by Max Muncy in 2019. Royce Lewis hit a home run and Chris Paddack gave up one run over six innings with eight strikeouts for the Twins, who went 2-4 on a road trip to Colorado and Los Angeles. Ohtani gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead with a home run to left-center field in the first. It was his National League-leading 37th of the season as he broke a tie with the Arizona Diamondbacks' Eugenio Suarez. The Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh owns the major league lead with 39. The Twins tied the game at 1-1 on Lewis' home run in the third, his fifth. Lewis, from nearby Orange County, California, had a productive homecoming with three hits Monday, three RBIs Tuesday and his third home run in four games Wednesday. The Dodgers loaded the bases in the seventh on a single from Freeman and walks to Andy Pages and pinch hitter Miguel Rojas. Tommy Edman looped a single into right field against Louis Varland to take a 2-1 advantage. Minnesota worked three consecutive walks against Los Angeles right-hander Kirby Yates to open the eighth. Willi Castro grounded into a double play against Alex Vesia that brought home the tying run, then Bader followed with a pinch-hit single just over the mound for a 3-2 lead. Dodgers left-hander Anthony Banda (5-1) fanned three in a scoreless ninth inning.


Japan Today
2 days ago
- Japan Today
Ohtani homers in 5th straight game as Dodgers beat Twins 4-3
Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman celebrates after hitting a walk-off single during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) By JILL PAINTER LOPEZ Shohei Ohtani matched a franchise record with a homer in the fifth straight game and Freddie Freeman drove in two runs with a two-out single in the ninth inning as the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied to beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 on Wednesday. Freeman hit a sinking liner to left field that eluded a diving Harrison Bader and scored Mookie Betts and Ohtani, setting off a wild celebration. Ohtani hit a solo homer to center in the first, his National League-leading 37th of the season. It marked the seventh time in Dodgers history that a player has homered in five consecutive games. Ohtani joins Max Muncy, Joc Pederson, Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp, Shawn Green and Roy Campanella in that club. The Twins scored two runs in the eighth off the Dodgers bullpen, one day after scoring seven runs off Los Angeles' pen in a 10-7 victory. This time, the Dodgers got the better of the Twins bullpen. Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow was dominant, allowing three hits and one run with 12 strikeouts in seven innings. The right-hander was making his third start since returning from a shoulder injury. Minnesota's Chris Paddack had a strong outing, allowing four hits and one run in six innings with eight strikeouts. Royce Lewis, an native of Orange County, California, tied the game at 1 with a solo home run off Glasnow in the third inning. He added a double in the fifth and a walk in the two-run eighth, finishing 2 for 2. Tommy Edman lined a run-scoring, bases-loaded single to right field in the seventh to score Freeman, giving the Dodgers a 2-1 lead. Dodgers reliever Kirby Yates opened the eighth by walking the first three batters he faced. Alex Vesia entered and got Willi Castro to hit into a double play, scoring one run, and pinch-hitter Bader knocked in another run with an infield single. Minnesota's Griffin Jax got the first two outs in the ninth before Betts singled and Ohtani was walked intentionally. Jax walked Esteury Ruiz, loading the bases for Freeman. Glasnow struck out 12 batters for the first time since June 9, 2024, when he fanned 12 against the Yankees. Twins RHP Zebby Matthews (1-2, 6.26 ERA) makes his sixth start against when Minnesota hosts Washington on Friday. Dodgers RHP Emmet Sheehan (101, 4.41 ERA) will face the Red Sox in Boston on Friday. AP MLB: © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.