There is no sugarcoating Saturday's 11-9 extra-innings loss to the Detroit Tigers. The Los Angeles Dodgers (56-40) absolutely imploded in Comerica Park, blowing a five-run lead in the final frame. Though, Shohei Ohtani still made sure to give fans a reason to celebrate, at least temporarily.
The two-time American League MVP and National League MVP favorite went 2-for-4 at the dish, busting out a leadoff triple and blasting his 29th home run of the season to give the Dodgers a 3-2 edge in the fifth inning. Although his efforts were not enough to secure LA the W, Ohtani did accomplish a special feat in the loss.
Those two extra-base hits put him up to 56 on the year, which passes Hall of Famer and Dodgers great Duke Snider (55 in 1954) for the most in franchise history before the All-Star break, per SportsNet LA's David Vassegh.
It did take the Japanese superstar more than 10 extra games to reach the mark, via Dodger Insider, but Snider was also doing his damage in Ebbets Field instead of Dodger Stadium. In any case, both men deserve to be celebrated for their greatness. Ohtani is definitely leaving his imprint in Chavez Ravine during his first year with the team, as his legacy continues to grow at an astonishing rate.
He leads the NL in home runs, slugging percentage (.637) and OPS (.1.036) and is top-five in both batting average (.314) and RBIs (69). Despite not pitching in 2024, the 30-year-old is still managing to amaze fans everywhere with his punishing bat. But much like on Saturday, Ohtani's excellence will be overshadowed if the Dodgers cannot take care of business.
Shohei Ohtani is on the Dodgers to win a title
While staying on the West Coast obviously appealed to him, Shotime knows this franchise can allow him to play postseason baseball and contend for a World Series for the first time in his seven-year MLB career. Similarly, LA believes it also needs Ohtani to return to the pinnacle of this sport.
The Dodgers have been subjected to incessant criticism following back-to-back NLDS exits. Their lone championship of this century is rarely mentioned without the words “COVID” or “60-game season” succeeding it. With Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani all likely headed to Cooperstown, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto signing a $325 million contract before even throwing a pitch in The Show, the pressure to perform when it counts is suffocating.
Unfortunately, this team is far from being whole at the moment. Therefore, Ohtani has gone from being the guy who is supposed to bring LA over the top to the one who has to keep it in favorable position until the playoffs begin.
With a plethora of injuries and ugly losses such as this Tigers one, the Dodgers are more reliant on Ohtani than they thought they would be entering the season. Nevertheless, he is answering the call and breathing rarefied air in the process.
The new face of the franchise will try to pad his extra-base-hit record in Sunday's rubber match versus Detroit.
Follow Us
Subscribe