The Los Angeles Dodgers are taking on the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday in the first contest of a three-game series. L.A. is hoping to maintain its lead on the NL West by at least going 2-1 over Tampa Bay. During the game, though, superstar Shohei Ohtani somehow managed to record a hit despite breaking his bat in the process.
In the top of the third, Ohtani swung on a ball that went a little on the outside of the plate. It resulted in an odd ground ball that went toward second base. However, a chunk of the bat went flying up in the air and landed right in front of the Rays' second baseman, Brandon Lowe, before he could scoop the ball up. Shohei Ohtani reached first base safely, as Lowe was unable to even throw the ball to first.
How??pic.twitter.com/1xF8NNDzen
— Dodgers Tailgate (@DodgersTailgate) August 2, 2025
It's not one of those crazy home runs we're used to seeing from the 31-year-old two-way star. But it was a bit crazy, nonetheless. How often does a piece of the bat fly that far into the air and nearly hit the player trying to field the grounder? All while the hitter somehow manages to be ruled safe?
When it comes to Shohei Ohtani, bizarre is to be expected. He's easily one of the best hitters in baseball right now, while he's simultaneously ramping up his pitching skills as well. Typically, players coming off Tommy John surgery are given rehab stints to play in the minor leagues for several games before being reactivated to the major league roster. But Ohtani is the best offensive player on the team. So, instead, the Dodgers have slowly worked him back onto the mound with short starts over the last several weeks.
So far this season, Shohei Ohtani owns an impressive .269 batting average and .373 OBP while recording 113 hits, 38 home runs, and 73 RBIs through 420 at-bats. He also has a 2.40 ERA with a 1.267 WHIP while totaling 17 strikeouts through 15.0 innings pitched. All stats provided exclude his performance from Friday, August 1, against the Rays.
