Shohei Ohtani hits leadoff home run to inspire Los Angeles Dodgers win
Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff home run and pitched five scoreless innings as the Los Angeles Dodgers secured a 4-0 victory over the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Wednesday.
The result allowed the visitors to win the series against their bitter rivals.
It also extended their advantage in the National League West to one and a half games.
Historic dual-threat performance
Starting a game as both the leadoff batter and the starting pitcher is a rare feat in baseball history.
Hitting a home run to open the game while also taking the mound is something no other player had ever achieved before Ohtani.
The Japanese international has now accomplished this unique double twice in his career.
Pitching through five innings, the two-way superstar retired the first nine batters in order before facing difficulty.
“The results were good, as you saw, but the process wasn’t that great,” he admitted through an interpreter.
Overcoming mid-game challenges
His velocity dropped slightly in the fourth inning as San Diego loaded the bases with just one out.
However, an 88th-pitch sweeper to Fernando Tatis Jr forced an inning-ending double play to escape the jam.
Despite recording his shortest start of the season, his earned run average dropped to a remarkable 0.73.
Only legendary left-hander Fernando Valenzuela has posted a lower mark through his first eight starts of a Dodgers season, achieving the feat in 1981.
Workload management remains a priority
To preserve his fitness, Los Angeles management had previously kept their marquee player out of the batting lineup on days he pitched.
The rotation was adjusted this week to allow him to bat on Wednesday, knowing a scheduled rest day followed on Thursday.
“I think it’s just another case in point that it’s good for us to be mindful of the workload and just not take that for granted,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
“But he’s still pretty special and got through it.”