Shohei Ohtani Photo: USA TODAY Sports/Reuters/Afro
<2024 September 28 (Saturday) (Japan time 29) MLB Colorado Rockies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers @ Coors Field>
[Video] Shohei Ohtani’s equipment was also from another dimension! Former Major League player passionately explains astonishing specs
The Major League season is approaching its final stages. The Dodgers, who secured the National League West Division title, faced off against the last-placed Rockies of the same division.
Shohei Ohtani (30), aiming for the historic “55-55” achievement and the batting triple crown through a comeback, started as “1st and DH.” He recorded 2 hits and 1 stolen base in 5 at-bats, leading the Dodgers to a decisive 13-2 victory.
This series, marking the last three games after securing the division title, was highly anticipated.
Ohtani, who hit his 54th home run the previous day, was in the spotlight for potentially achieving the unprecedented “55-55.” Immediately after the first pitch, he perfectly connected with a 136 km/h slider thrown by Rockies starter Sensatela (29), hitting a sharp single that struck the right-field fence.
In his second at-bat in the second inning, he hit a powerful line drive that should have gone into center field for a hit, but it was thwarted by the Rockies’ infield shift, resulting in a groundout to shortstop. In his third at-bat in the fifth inning, he drew a walk.
Then came the sixth inning, where Ohtani entered the batter’s box as the leading hitter of the inning. After battling to a full count against Chriswell (25), he connected with a 153 km/h fastball on the sixth pitch, resulting in a single to right field.
This marked his fourth consecutive game and a season-high 61st multi-hit game. Shortly after, he successfully stole second base, bringing his total to 58 stolen bases for the season.
In his fifth at-bat in the seventh inning, he hit a ball on the fourth pitch from Chivili (22), but unfortunately was caught for a lineout to right field.
In the ninth inning, during his sixth at-bat, he grounded out to second base, finishing the day with 2 hits in 5 at-bats. His batting average rose to .310.
In the game, starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (26) conceded the first run, but in the second inning, Kiké Hernández (33) hit a three-run home run to turn the game around.
Additional runs were scored in the third and fourth innings, and in the sixth, cleanup hitter Teoscar Hernández (31) hit a decisive three-run homer.
In the eighth inning, timely hits from Smith (29), and in the ninth from Taylor (34), Lux (26), and Muncy (33), sealed the game.
Yamamoto showcased a strong performance, throwing 71 pitches through five innings, with 6 strikeouts and 2 earned runs, effectively shutting down the Rockies’ lineup. The bullpen, including Urobleski (24), held them scoreless to complete the game.
The Dodgers, riding a winning streak leading into their final game of the season, and Yamamoto secured his 7th win of the season in his fourth game back.
With his batting average rising to .310 in this game, Ohtani is now just 0.004 behind the current batting leader, Araez (27), who has a .314 average.
Will he turn it around in the last game and achieve the batting triple crown? Tomorrow’s final game is sure to be closely watched.