
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.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Japan Times
5 hours 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
7 hours 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.


Tokyo Weekender
7 hours ago
- Tokyo Weekender
Ohtani Hits Fifth Home Run in Consecutive Games, Tying Dodgers Record
On Wednesday afternoon, Shohei Ohtani smashed his fifth home run in as many games, and in doing so tied the Dodgers franchise record. Six other Dodgers' players have achieved the feat before, the last being Max Muncy in 2019. The two-way superstar will now look to become the first player in the Los Angeles club's history to hit six in-a-row when they meet the Boston Red Sox on Friday night. List of Contents: Ohtani Shines Despite Dodgers Bad Form Ohtani Leads National League Home Run Table Related Posts Ohtani Shines Despite Dodgers Bad Form Last Saturday, Ohtani hit his 33rd homer of the season and had three RBIs in the Dodgers' 8-7 defeat to the Milwaukee Brewers. His 34th came the following day against the same opponents, giving the Dodgers a 3-0 lead. The Brewers fought back, though, to win the game 6-5, inflicting a 10th defeat in 12 games for the team that lifted the 2024 World Series trophy. On Monday, Ohtani became the first pitcher in over 45 years to give up and hit a homer in the first inning of the same game as the Dodgers defeated the Minnesota Twins 5-2. It was the 11th time in his career that he recorded three home runs in consecutive games. Against the same opponents the next day, he became the first ever Japanese player to make it four in-a-row in Major League Baseball. It was the Twins , though, that won the game 10-7. Ohtani Leads National League Home Run Table Ohtani's 37th home run of the season came from a Chris Paddack curveball as the Dodgers defeated the Twins 4-3. Striking the ball hard, he cleared the center field fence. The last MLB player to go deep in five consecutive games was Aaron Judge last September. Ohtani is now the home run leader in the National League, ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks' infielder Eugenio Suárez, who has 36. The Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh leads the way in the American League with 39. Discover Tokyo, Every Week Get the city's best stories, under-the-radar spots and exclusive invites delivered straight to your inbox. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy . Related Posts Shohei Ohtani Denies Any Involvement in Gambling Scandal Shohei Ohtani's Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara Fired After 'Massive Theft' Claim Ohtani Produces One of the Greatest Ever Individual MLB Performances