The Los Angeles Dodgers destroyed the New York Yankees on Saturday night, picking up a blowout 18-2 victory. Shohei Ohtani didn't have to do much in this one, but even in what was a fairly quiet night by his lofty standards, he still managed to inadvertently find a way to help rookie catcher Dalton Rushing hit the first home run of his career.

Ohtani racked up a pair of hits in four at-bats to help Los Angeles breeze past New York, as he came around to score both times he found himself on base. He ended up being pulled from the game early in favor of Rushing. In search of a spark at the plate, Rushing grabbed one of Ohtani's bats before he strolled to the plate in the bottom of the eighth, and he ended up smacking a three-run home run to make an already bad night for the Yankees even worse.

“Just ask rookie catcher Dalton Rushing, who hit his first career homer Saturday, with the help of Ohtani’s bat. While Ohtani had retreated to the clubhouse after being taken out of the game, Rushing grabbed one of his bats, seeing if it had the same kind of magic that has helped Ohtani win three MVPs. Lo and behold, he swung at the first pitch thrown by infielder Pablo Reyes, and sent it 393 feet over the right-field fence,” Bob Nightengale wrote for USA Today.

Shohei Ohtani continues to lead the way for the Dodgers

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Fresh off winning the third MVP award of his career, Ohtani has remained arguably the best hitter in the majors to start the 2025 season. Through 56 games, Ohtani has posted a .298 batting average with a league-leading 22 home runs and 37 runs batted in, while also swiping 11 bases. And even when he's not having a big game, he's finding a way to help his teammates out, even if he doesn't necessarily mean to.

With Mookie Betts out for the time being with a fractured toe, Ohtani is going to have to shoulder an even bigger load for the time being. The good news is that he has shown no signs of slowing down, and he will look to help the Dodgers finish off their sweep of the Yankees when they return to action on Sunday night at 7:10 p.m. ET.