Japan’s leading sluggers Shohei Ohtani (30, LA Dodgers) and Seiya Suzuki (30, Chicago Cubs) had an unyielding confrontation. While Ohtani had two consecutive home runs, Suzuki also led the team’s lineup with a double and a sacrifice fly.
Ohtani and Suzuki started their first showdown of the 2024 Major League Baseball season between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs, which took place at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois on Tuesday (Korea time). Ohtani was the second designated hitter, and Suzuki was the second right fielder.
Ohtani had his second consecutive home run since the home game against the San Francisco Giants on Saturday. With the Dodgers trailing 2-6 with runners at first base with no outs in the top of the fifth inning, Chicago Cubs right-handed starting baseman Kyle Hendrix made a 79.4-mile changeup with the first pitch to the center.
Then, Ohtani vigorously pulled his ball to the right-center. He sent his 105.2 mile hit to 379 feet. The shooting angle was 32 degrees. It was his second homerun of the season. On the day, Ohtani had two hits (one homer) and two RBIs and two runs from five times at bat. His batting average for the season is 0.286.
In the top of the first inning, when the score was 0-0, Ohtani hit Hendrix with a ball count of 1B1S and three outs to the left, to garner a double. He advanced to the third base thanks to Freddie Freeman’s walk and Will Smith’s left-handed hit. Two outs later, Teoscar Hernandez hit a two-run homer. Ohtani scored.
In the top of the third inning when his team was losing 2-5, Ohtani appeared as the leadoff hitter, pulling a low changeup outside 1B2S, but turned to the first base grounder. In the top of the seventh inning when his team was losing 5-9, Ohtani appeared as the leadoff hitter, hitting a low knuckle curve to left-hander Drew Smyly, but was out after hitting a fly ball to center field.
Ohtani faced right-hander Julianne Merriweather with two outs and a runner on first base in the top of the eighth inning when his team was losing 7-9. At 2B2S, a six-pitch slider came into the center, but it turned to a fly to center. Cubs ended up winning 9-7. Dodgers worked hard with Ohtani’s home run, Will Smith with three hits, and Teoscar Hernandez with four RBIs. However, starting pitcher Miller became the losing pitcher by allowing four hits (one homer) and three strikeouts, two walks, and five runs in one ⅔ inning.
Suzuki also performed well. He entered the batter’s box for the first time in the bottom of the first inning with one out and no runner at the bottom of the first inning when his team was losing 0-2. He swung and missed a strikeout on LA Dodgers starting pitcher Bobby Miller’s slider at the 1B2S. However, with the team leading 3-2, Chancellor Gerhardt with two outs and runners on the second and third bases hit a two-run double by pushing down a 97-mile four-seam after a tight nine-pitch battle with Miller. 밤알바
Then, with his team leading 6-5, with one out and no runners in the bottom of the fifth inning, Suzuki walked Alex Besia. However, he was out at the second base when Cody Bellinger hit a grounder to the pitcher. At the bottom of the sixth inning, when his team was leading 8-5, he swung a high slider from right-handed Mike Globe with one out and hit a sacrifice fly to right field. His performance on the day was one hit, one walk and three RBIs from two times at bat. His batting average for the season was 0.345.