CHICAGO — Shohei Ohtani is already stamping his title into the Dodgers’ report books, solely half a season into his first 12 months with Los Angeles.
Ohtani crushed a leadoff residence run in Tuesday’s 4-3 win over the White Sox at Assured Price Area, a Statcast-projected 376-foot blast off starter Chris Flexen. With the homer, Ohtani has tallied no less than one RBI in 9 straight video games.
That ties him with Roy Campanella for a Dodgers franchise report in a single season since RBIs grew to become an official stat in 1920. Campanella put collectively his streak in 1955, whereas Augie Galan (1944) and Eddie Brown (1924) additionally pulled off the feat. Matt Kemp tallied an RBI in 9 straight video games, however did so throughout the 2011 and ‘12 seasons.
“I do not know what extra we will actually say about him,” Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman mentioned of Ohtani. “I believe we have mentioned every thing we will since he is entered this league about what an incredible participant he’s. … Typically, you’ve simply acquired to step again and simply recognize a participant like this.”
Earlier than touching residence plate to safe the record-tying RBI, Ohtani’s journey across the bases had a number of distinctive layers to it. He wasn’t certain if he touched first base throughout his residence run trot. After getting greater than midway to second, he went again and touched the bag, “simply to be protected,” Ohtani mentioned.
Ohtani additionally carried his bat a number of toes round first base, because the blast carried out towards the right-field wall, earlier than lastly dropping it.
“I used to be simply form of wanting on the ball, hoping that it was gonna exit,” Ohtani mentioned by means of interpreter Will Ireton. “I did not understand I had the bat with me, so I dropped it. That’s the place [first-base coach] Clayton [McCullough] got here in. And in order that’s why I dropped the bat and simply wasn’t fairly certain if I stepped on the bag.”
Ohtani, who added an RBI single within the fourth inning, completed 2-for-4 with a stroll. Freeman hit a two-run homer within the third inning to energy the Dodgers’ offense. It backed a formidable efficiency by Los Angeles’ bullpen, which threw seven innings in aid of starter Bobby Miller.
Miller threw 60 pitches (33 strikes) and allowed three runs on 4 hits and three walks.
Ohtani is having an ideal first season with the Dodgers, however he has taken his sport to an entire new degree within the month of June. In 22 video games, he has a .306/.412/.706 slash line, with 10 homers, 22 RBIs and 15 walks in comparison with 20 strikeouts.
Extra not too long ago, throughout his nine-game RBI streak, Ohtani has slashed .441/.545/1.147 with seven homers and 16 RBIs. He has hit leadoff in eight of these 9 video games, shifting atop the Dodgers’ lineup on June 17 after Mookie Betts went on the 10-day injured checklist as a consequence of a fractured left hand.
Ohtani’s second RBI on Tuesday got here within the fourth, when he pulled a down-and-in cutter from Flexen by means of the 3-4 gap to drive in Gavin Lux, who drew a one-out stroll and superior to 3rd on a Miguel Vargas single.
“Whatever the RBI streak, I believe it is actually in regards to the group creating the alternatives to have the ability to drive within the run,” Ohtani mentioned.
When supervisor Dave Roberts was requested about Ohtani’s present sizzling stretch earlier than Monday’s sequence opener, he pointed to the slugger’s plate self-discipline being one other separator past his apparent superstar-level expertise. Ohtani entered Tuesday with a 27.7 % chase charge this season, in comparison with his profession 28.3 %.
In June, together with Tuesday’s win, his chase charge is 22.3 %. That’s the third lowest of any month in his profession (minimal 50 plate appearances), behind September 2020 (17.2 %) and Could 2018 (20.9 %).
Ohtani additionally entered Tuesday with a 14.3 % stroll charge and 18.4 % strikeout charge in June, in comparison with his profession averages of 12.1 % and 25.5 %, respectively.
“I believe that the consistency stemmed from his controlling of the strike zone,” Roberts mentioned of Ohtani after Tuesday’s win. “He’s clearly loopy proficient, however folks feed off of his eagerness to swing the bat. … I believe proper now, he is simply acquired the tunnel imaginative and prescient on having good at-bats.
“And that is why all these homers and runs batted in and runs scored, all these good issues are taking place.”
