logo
Ohtani's big homer and Smith's 2 blasts help Dodgers end home woes with 5-2 win over Twins

Ohtani's big homer and Smith's 2 blasts help Dodgers end home woes with 5-2 win over Twins

Japan Today22-07-2025
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani (17) is congratulated by teammates after hitting a two-run home run against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning of a baseball game in Los Angeles, Monday, July 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
baseball
By BETH HARRIS
Shohei Ohtani hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the bottom of the first after giving up a leadoff homer to fellow All-Star Byron Buxton, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Minnesota Twins 5-2 on Monday night.
The NL West leaders snapped a six-game skid at home, their longest such streak at Dodger Stadium since September 2017. They were swept in three games by the Milwaukee Brewers over the weekend.
Buxton sent Ohtani's second pitch of the game halfway up the left field pavilion. After Mookie Betts walked, Ohtani answered with a 441-foot blast to center that put the Dodgers in front, 2-1. The two-way Japanese superstar has homered in three straight games.
Smith went deep twice off David Festa (3-4). Smith led off the fourth with a two-strike homer to center and followed with a 435-foot shot to left that made it 4-1.
Andy Pages added a solo shot off reliever Cole Sands.
Dustin May (6-6) took over from Ohtani, who allowed one run, four hits and struck out three in three innings. May gave up five hits in 4 2/3 innings, struck out four and walked three. Kirby Yates earned his third save.
Freddie Freeman was in the lineup a day after being hit by a pitch on his left wrist in Sunday's 6-5 loss to Milwaukee. He was 1 for 4 with a strikeout.
Minnesota shortstop Carlos Correa went 0 for 5, getting booed heavily in every at-bat by Dodgers fans still angry about the 2017 World Series, when Correa played for Houston. He was robbed of a potential game-tying homer by James Outman at the center field wall in the ninth.
Ohtani is the first pitcher to give up a homer and hit a homer in the first inning of the same game since Philadelphia's Randy Lerch in a 23-22 win over the Chicago Cubs on May 17, 1979.
Twins RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (5-4, 3.95 ERA) starts Tuesday against Dodgers RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (8-7, 2.59).
© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Japanese qualifier Ito ousts seventh seed Paolini in Montreal
Japanese qualifier Ito ousts seventh seed Paolini in Montreal

Japan Today

timean hour ago

  • Japan Today

Japanese qualifier Ito ousts seventh seed Paolini in Montreal

Japanese qualifier Aoi Ito ousted Italy's sixth-ranked Jasmine Paolini to reach the third round of the WTA Canadian Open Japanese qualifier Aoi Ito stunned Italian seventh seed Jasmine Paolini 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/5) on Tuesday to reach the third round of the WTA Canadian Open. The 21-year-old beat American Katie Volynets in the first round for her first WTA 1000 level triumph then followed with her first victory over a top-10 opponent by rallying from a set and break down to advance after two hours and 27 minutes. World number 105 Ito saved a match point in the 10th game of the second set and outlasted sixth-ranked Paolini to book a third-round match against Spain's 51st-ranked Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, who defeated American Ashlyn Krueger 6-4, 6-4. Ito reached the semi-finals last October at Osaka in her WTA debut and claimed a 125-level title at Canberra in January, but until this week had not won a tour-level match. In other matches, DC Open champion Leylah Fernandez dropped her opener on home soil, falling to Australian Maya Joint 6-4, 6-1. Russian fourth seed Mirra Andreeva advanced to the third round in a walkover past Canada's Bianca Andreescu, while US eighth seed Emma Navarro ousted Canada's Rebecca Marino 6-1, 6-2. US top seed Coco Gauff, who had a first-round bye, was set to play her opening Montreal match later against compatriot Danielle Collins with a third-round berth at stake. © 2025 AFP

Football: English champions Liverpool beat Marinos on Japan return
Football: English champions Liverpool beat Marinos on Japan return

Kyodo News

time7 hours ago

  • Kyodo News

Football: English champions Liverpool beat Marinos on Japan return

YOKOHAMA - Liverpool came from behind to beat Yokohama F Marinos 3-1 in an international club friendly on Wednesday, claiming victory in the English Premier League champions' first game in Japan in 20 years. Their red-clad fans outnumbered those in the hosts' blue at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, the hometown of Japan captain and Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, with a packed crowd of 67,032 on hand for the Reds' first visit to the country since the 2005 Club World Championship. Prior to the game, fans gathered at a corner outside the venue to write farewell messages to Liverpool player Diogo Jota, who died along with his younger brother in a car crash on July 3 in northwestern Spain. "I was so shocked when I heard the news," said 21-year-old Genki Urata, a supporter of both Liverpool and his local club Marinos, who wore a Jota No. 20 shirt he bought two years ago. "I definitely want them to come back again next year, although I'm thinking about going to Anfield too. Today, of course I'm supporting Liverpool." Liverpool all-time top scorer Ian Rush delivered a tribute to Jota before the kick-off, followed by fans joining in a chant for the former Portugal forward. Marinos attacker Jun Amano grabbed early attention with a volley that went off target, before nutmegging Ryan Graveberch in the middle of the park, while Cody Gakpo curled a low shot onto the right post in the ninth minute for Liverpool. Fans once again paid respect to Jota by applauding in the 20th minute, in acknowledgement of his shirt number. Liverpool debutant Hugo Ekitike had a backheel saved before the best chance of the half fell to J1 strugglers Marinos, whose status as one of the only two clubs never to be relegated since the launch of the J-League in 1993, alongside Kashima Antlers, is in jeopardy this year. A two-man counter in the 40th minute saw Yan Matheus' chipped cross finding Dean David, whose stooping header drew a diving save from keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili. Asahi Uenaka and Darwin Nunez missed chances at either end early in the second half, before the Marinos attacker opened the scoring in the 55th minute, low off the post, after latching on to a fine through ball from Riku Yamane. Endo entered on the hour-mark to replace Virgil van Dijk, taking the captain's armband, and Liverpool leveled two minutes later when Curtis Jones launched a counter and provided a tiny touch off Mohamed Salah's pass to allow big summer signing Florian Wirtz to score. Trey Nyoni put Liverpool ahead in the 68th minute as he stretched his leg out to meet Jeremie Frimpong's cross to the far post, while a header by Endo in the 77th minute was followed by his Liverpool chant sung by Japanese fans. Sixteen-year-old Rio Ngumoha put the icing on the cake in the 87th minute when he ran the entire opposition half before slotting home low, a timely showing of his talent on the left wing following the departure of Luis Diaz.

MLB/ A rare first for Ohtani: Dodgers superstar strikes out in his first 4 plate appearances
MLB/ A rare first for Ohtani: Dodgers superstar strikes out in his first 4 plate appearances

Asahi Shimbun

time18 hours ago

  • Asahi Shimbun

MLB/ A rare first for Ohtani: Dodgers superstar strikes out in his first 4 plate appearances

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, left, turns to walk to the dugout as Cincinnati Reds catcher Jose Trevino tags Othani out after dropping the third strike during the first inning of a baseball game on July 29 in Cincinnati. (AP Photo) CINCINNATI--Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani had another first in his MLB career. Ohtani struck out in his first four plate appearances Tuesday night against the Cincinnati Reds, the first time he has done that in his eight seasons in the majors. It is the sixth time the Japanese superstar and reigning NL MVP has struck out four times in a game. It is the second time this season, with the other coming against San Diego on June 17. Against the Seattle Mariners on July 17, 2021, while playing for the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani popped up to the shortstop in his first at-bat and then struck out in his next four times at the plate. Cincinnati's Nick Lodolo became the 13th pitcher to strike out Ohtani three times in a game. The Reds left-hander got Ohtani to chase a curveball out of the strike zone in the first and fifth innings and got him looking on a 94.6 mph fastball in the third. Graham Ashcraft then whiffed Ohtani on an inside slider in the seventh. Ohtani was one strike away from his first five strikeout game before he flew out to right field on a 2-2 count in the ninth inning of a 4-4 game. Ohtani came into the game on a nine-game hitting streak along with leading the majors with 100 runs scored. He is atop the NL in slugging (.620), total bases (254), OPS (1.001) and 38 home runs.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store