Ohtani Homers Twice, Drives in 6 Runs, Dodgers Crush Athletics 19-2 / TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Shohei Ohtani delivered a historic performance with two home runs and six RBIs on his bobblehead night as the Dodgers dominated the Athletics 19-2. The Dodgers remain undefeated in their last six series and boast the best home record in MLB. Ohtani tied the league lead with 15 home runs.
On a night meant to honor Shohei Ohtanithe Dodgers’ superstar gave fans a performance for the ages. With thousands waving miniature replicas in the stands, Ohtani blasted two home runs and drove in six runsleading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 19-2 demolition of the Oakland Athletics on Thursday.
The Dodgers, who dropped the opener 11-1, roared back to outscore the A’s 28-5 over the final two games of the series. They now hold a 17-4 home recordthe best in the majors, and are unbeaten in their last six series.
Ohtani homered in back-to-back inningslaunching a three-run shot in the third and a towering two-run blast in the fourth, the latter traveling 418 feet to straightaway center. With those two bombs, he now leads the majors with 48 runs scored and ties Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwarber for the MLB home run lead with 15.
He also contributed a sacrifice fly in the second inningcapping a night in which he accounted for nearly a third of the team’s runs.
The offensive explosion began in the first inning with Max Muncy’s two-run homerfollowed by a sacrifice fly from Ohtani in the second. But the third inning broke the game wide openas the Dodgers batted around — highlighted by Ohtani’s three-run homer and Andy Pages’ 416-foot, three-run blast.
By the end of the third, the Dodgers led 13-2, and the rout was on.
Hyeseong Kim reached base five timeswalked twice, and scored three runs. Every starter in the Dodgers’ lineup recorded at least one hit — a feat that underscores the team’s depth and offensive firepower.
Julio Wrobleki (1-1) earned the win on the mound, while the A’s offense managed just three total hitsincluding Max Schuemann’s early homer. After the second inning, Oakland mustered only one hit the rest of the game.
In a humorous moment during the eighth inning, A’s backup catcher Jhonny Pereda took the mound, pitching for the third time this season. Remarkably, he struck out Ohtani with an 89 mph fastball — perhaps the lone bright spot in a forgettable night for Oakland. The A’s even saved the strikeout ball for Pereda, who was all smiles afterward.
The Athletics will now head up the coast to face the San Francisco Giantswith JP Sears (4-2, 2.80 ERA) getting the start Friday.
The Dodgers stay in L.A. to open a highly anticipated series against the crosstown rival Angelssending Dustin May (1-3, 4.13 ERA) to the mound.
With Ohtani’s bat on fire — nine home runs in his last 15 games — the Dodgers look ready to continue their surge through the American League.
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