As Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani hit his 45th home run in Sunday's 8-2 win over the San Diego Padres, the sensation would also encounter a loud distraction from the stands. The Dodgers slugger would go face-to-face with a heckler during the game, but not in a threatening way, more in a manner that put light on the situation.
It would be a San Diego fan who made his voice heard during the game, directing comments towards Los Angeles and more specifically, Ohtani, as he had been hitless in the series. When Ohtani hit the home run in the top of the ninth inning to put the game away, he would even go up to the fan as the two exchanged a clap-up, which was “out of character,” but also a “fun” moment, as said by manager Dave Roberts.
“It was very out of character from Shohei, [but the heckler] was wearing him out the whole game,” Roberts said, according to ESPN. “So it was good to see Shohei initiate a high-five from him. That was great. That was fun. It was good to see Shohei show his personality.”
Shohei Ohtani put the cherry on top for the Dodgers, and this Padres fan just couldn't help himself 🤣 pic.twitter.com/OAl88Bp4uS
— MLB (@MLB) August 24, 2025
NO. 45 FOR SHOHEI
The @Dodgers are up BIG in the 9th! pic.twitter.com/RGl6xPxWRl
— MLB (@MLB) August 24, 2025
Before that home run, it had been a tough series for Ohtani, who had gone zero-for-10 and two walks, as teammate Freddie Freeman would admit why he was “glad” to see the moment with the fan happen.
“He was just kind of talking to Shohei the whole game, so I'm glad Shohei was able to give him a little something else to cheer about,” Freeman said.
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani joins rare club with 45th home run
As the rivalry between the Dodgers and the Padres was put on full display this series, it would be a historic game in some ways on Sunday as Ohtani joined a prestigious group. As other stars in the league like Cal Raleigh and Kyle Schwarber also have at least 45 home runs like Ohtani, it's the third time in MLB history that three players have that many home runs before September.
Now, Los Angeles and San Diego have the same record at 74-57, as Dalton Rushing, who hit a dinger in the game along with Freeman, spoke about still monitoring the rival, despite not facing them anymore this regular season.
“We're going to treat the next however many games until the regular season is over like we're neck-and-neck with them,” Rushing said. “Whether we're tied in the division or we're eight games out, we're going to treat it like it's the same, and I think it's a good thing. You hold a competitive edge finishing out the regular season, and that's what you kind of carry into the postseason.”
The Dodgers host the Cincinnati Reds for a three-game series starting on Monday night.
