A rare first for Ohtani: Dodgers superstar strikes out in his first 4 plate appearances
baseball
By JOE REEDY
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 and 981 games in the majors.
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.
Despite Ohtani's tough night at the plate, the Dodgers rallied for a 5-4 victory on an RBI double by Will Smith in the ninth inning.
'Tonight, I just don't think he saw (Cincinnati starter Nick) Lodolo well at all, clearly. And I think he just got into swing mode," manager Dave Roberts said. "When he's (at his) best, he's getting the baseball up, and he's using the big part of the field. And especially in this ballpark where he doesn't need to go to right field. But tonight, just one of those nights that he just couldn't help him help himself from swinging.'
Ohtani came into the game on a nine-game hitting streak, where he had gone 11 for 36 with six home runs 13 RBIs and nine runs scored.
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.
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.
'I was going right after him. I definitely threw some good heaters in some good spots and I was able to spin the ball well too as well,' Lodolo said.
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. Smith was the next batter and delivered the game-winning hit.
Ohtani still leads the majors with 100 runs scored. He is atop the NL in slugging (.612), total bases (254), OPS (.989) and 38 home runs.
Roberts hopes Ohtani is more disciplined at the plate in the series finale Wednesday night because Nick Martinez is the same type of pitcher as Lodolo.
'Martinez is gonna be nibbling, and it's going to be cutter and changeup down below. And he's got to get back to the big part of the field and not chase down below,' Roberts said.
Ohtani will also be making his seventh pitching start of the season on Wednesday as the Dodgers look for him to go four innings as he comes back from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in 2023. Ohtani is 0-0 with a 1.50 ERA.
© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kyodo News
9 hours ago
- Kyodo News
Tennis: Osaka overpowers Tauson to reach National Bank Open final
MONTREAL - Japanese former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka reached the final at the National Bank Open on Wednesday after beating Clara Tauson of Denmark 6-2, 7-6(7) in the semifinals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Montreal. The win set up a Thursday showdown with 18-year-old local favorite Victoria Mboko as the 27-year-old Osaka bids for her first title on the WTA tour since the Australian Open in February 2021. Four-time Grand Slam winner Osaka, currently 49th in the world, faced the 19th-ranked Tauson in a repeat of the final at January's WTA 250 ASB Classic in New Zealand. In that match, the Japanese withdrew with an abdominal injury after winning the first set 6-4. Osaka continued to excel on her preferred hard court surface, with solid ground strokes off both sides helping her run off four straight games to take the first set. After falling behind 4-2 in the second set, Tauson fought her way back to even the match at four games apiece. However, the Dane could only convert two of her seven break points and sent a forehand into the net on match point to put Osaka into the final after 1 hour, 45 minutes. "I guess just you guys cheering, it really meant a lot," Osaka said after the match. "I'm pretty sure it's super late now, but thank you for sticking around and I hope you guys also come and watch the final." Osaka is expecting a hostile atmosphere in the final against the 85th-ranked Mboko, who battled past Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(4). "She's Canadian, I heard the applause from inside (the locker room), so I'm pretty sure it's going to be super lively. But I really appreciate that because it means you guys are invested in the match," she said. "I hope one or two people cheer for me, too."
Japan Today
15 hours ago
- Japan Today
Canadian teen Mboko to face Osaka in Montreal final
Victoria Mboko of Canada reacts following her win over Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan during semifinal tennis action at the National Bank Open in Montreal, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP) tennis Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko rallied to reach the National Bank Open final, beating ninth-seeded Elena Rybakina 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4) on Wednesday night. The 18-year-old Mboko dropped to the court after Rybakina's shot sailed long on match point as the crowd — lined with 'Allez Vicky' — erupted. Mboko saved a match point in the third set and broke Rybakina twice to force the tiebreaker. 'Incredible match, thank you to everyone for supporting me,' Mboko told the crowd in French. 'It was really difficult, but anything can happen.' On Thursday night, she'll face Japanese star Naomi Osaka, a 6-2, 7-6 (7) winner over 16th-seeded Clara Tauson of Denmark in the second semifinal. Mboko, ranked 85th in the world, is seeking her first WTA Tour title and trying to join Faye Urban (1969) and Bianca Andreescu (2019) as the only Canadians to win the home event in the open era. Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, to Congolese parents, Mboko grew up in Toronto. She upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday to reach the quarterfinals, then topped Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 6-2 on Monday. At 2 hours, 46 minutes, the match Wednesday was the longest of Mboko's short tour career. From Kazakhstan, Rybakina won at Wimbledon in 2022. She has nine career WTA Tour victories, winning in May on clay at Strasbourg. Rybakina beat Mboko 6-3, 7-5 last month in Washington. Mboko overcame 11 double-faults and battled through a wrist injury after stumbling awkwardly to the ground in the second game of the third set. She'll will move up to at least 34th in the world after starting the year outside the top 300. Osaka, the four-time Grand Slam champion who reached No. 1 in the world, continued her best performance in a WTA 1000 tournament since reaching the Miami final in 2022. She stepped for 15 months toward the end of that season and had daughter Shai in July 2023. She's seeking her eighth title and her first since the 2021 Australian Open. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
NHK
15 hours ago
- NHK
Ohtani reaches milestone with 1,000th career hit in MLB
In Major League Baseball, two-way Japanese star Ohtani Shohei of the Los Angeles Dodgers has marked his 1,000th career hit, and it was a home run at that. Ohtani appeared in the third of a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals in Los Angeles on Wednesday. He started as both the leadoff batter and the pitcher. Ohtani came up to the plate for his second at-bat in the third inning. The Dodgers were trailing by one run, with one out and a runner on second. He connected powerfully with an inside pitch, sending the ball over the center field fence for a go-ahead home run. The two-run homer became Ohtani's 39th of the season, and he reached the 1000-hit career milestone in his eighth season in the MLB. His homer was clocked at 176.2 kilometers per hour. It was his first home run in 10 games, since July 26. He also showed a strong performance on the mound, pitching four innings for the first time this season and striking out eight batters. The Dodgers lost the game 3-5, racking up one win and two losses in the three-game series against the Cardinals.
