LA Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani entered the MVP race in earnest by hitting home runs for two consecutive games after breaking through bad news such as the “interpretation scandal” and the “home run ball threat incident” at the beginning of the season.
In an away game against the Chicago Cubs at Ridley Field in Chicago, Illinois, Ohtani had two hits, two RBIs and two runs from five times at bat, including a home run. Despite Ohtani’s hard hit, however, the Dodgers lost 7-9 as its mound collapsed.
Ohtani raised his batting average to 0.286 (12 hits in 42 at-bats) and marked two home runs, six RBIs, nine runs scored, one stolen base and an OPS of 0.80.
Ohtani pulled left-hander Taylor Rogers’ 5th 93.2 miles outside high course sinker in the bottom of the seventh inning with a 4-3 lead over the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on the 4th, and hit a solo shot well over the right-center fence.
It was the first home run he hit in nine games and 41 at-bats after signing a 10-year, 700 million-dollar FA contract in December last year, the largest in sports history. He then returned to the American League (AL) home run king last year by hitting another home run in an away game on the same day after moving to Seoul on the 5th.
Ohtani hit a home run in the top of the fifth inning when his team was losing 2-6. Leading player Mookie Betts got on base with a hit to the left, so no outs and a runner on the first base. Entering his third batter’s box, Ohtani pulled his leg from the top when Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendrix’s 79.4-mile changeup fell into the strike zone, and connected it to a two-run shot that flew in a parabola towards the manager on the right.
The ball passed over the foul pole on the right and fell out of the ballpark. The angle of launch was 32 degrees, the speed of the ball was 105.2 miles, and the distance was 379 feet.
Playing as the second designated hitter, Ohtani fired with his bat from his first at bat in the first inning. With one out, Hendrix lightly pushed the sinker 88 miles outside for the third pitch, connecting it to a double that cut through the left-center field. The Dodgers then struck out Max Muncy with one out due to Freddie Freeman’s walk and Will Smith’s left-handed hit, but Teoscar Hernandez hit a critical hit to score two runs first.
However, the Cubs scored five points in the bottom of the second inning by tying four hits and three walks, turning the game around at once. After one out, the Cubs scored one point with Dansby Swanson’s solo home run over the middle wall, and Nick Madrigal’s timely hit, opponent’s wild pitch, and Suzuki Seiya’s two-run double widened the gap to 5-2 with one out and runners on the first and second bases. Then, Dodgers’ first baseman Michael Bush blasted a superior solo shot to make the game 6-2 in the third inning. 고수익알바
However, the Dodgers caused tension in the fifth inning when Ohtani’s two-run homer followed by Freeman’s walk and Smith’s double to the left.