Tokyo – Shohei Ohtani (30), starting as the designated hitter and batting first for the Dodgers, hit a solo home run in his first at-bat, marking his 19th home run of the season. This achievement marks his second consecutive game with a leadoff homer. Ohtani finished the game 1-for-3 at the plate.
In his initial at-bat, Ohtani crushed the very first pitch from Guardians’ starter Williams, sending a 185 km/h (115 mph) rocket into the right-field stands and giving the Dodgers an immediate lead just seconds into the game. In the second inning, with two outs and runners on first and third, he struck out swinging. He walked in his third plate appearance in the fifth inning with no outs and again in the sixth with two outs and a runner on first. Ohtani eventually scored on a timely hit by Freddie Freeman. In the eighth inning, with one out, he popped out to the catcher.
The Dodgers capitalized on Ohtani’s early blast, scoring six runs by the sixth inning to break their losing streak. Starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered a strong performance, allowing only two runs over six innings and earning his sixth win of the season.