
Ohtani hits 30th home run for five straight seasons
The Dodgers began their three-game series against the Chicago White Sox in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
Ohtani was in the starting lineup as designated leadoff hitter.
In his third at-bat in the bottom of the fourth, with two outs and no runner on base, Ohtani slammed an inside slider into the stands.
It was Ohtani's first home run in three games, and his 30th this season. He has hit this many every season since 2021, when he played for the Los Angeles Angels.
Ohtani currently leads the National League in the number of homers.
Meanwhile, Dodgers starter Yamamoto Yoshinobu got his eighth win as his team beat the White Sox 6-1.
Yamamoto made 98 pitches in seven innings, took eight strikeouts and gave up one run.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Japan Times
3 hours ago
- Japan Times
Clayton Kershaw reaches 3,000 strikeouts in Dodgers' win over White Sox
The Los Angeles Dodgers had a full night Wednesday, watching Clayton Kershaw record his 3,000th career strikeout while Freddie Freeman capped a three-run ninth-inning rally with a game-ending single in a 5-4 victory over the visiting Chicago White Sox. Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani also drove in runs for the Dodgers in the ninth. Ohtani scored the game-winning run. Reliever Will Klein (1-0) earned his first win for the Dodgers. Kershaw struck out three batters to finish the night with exactly 3,000, striking out Vinny Capra looking on a slider to end the top of the sixth inning. The milestone strikeout came on Kershaw's last batter of the game and on his season-high 100th pitch. He gave up four runs on nine hits. "It was such a special night all the way around, it really was," Kershaw said. "Running out there for the sixth inning and hearing that crowd roar was up there for me in special moments. "I couldn't have asked for anything more. Give the White Sox credit — they didn't make it easy on me at all. "So it was a tough night. But what a way to end it with Freddie coming up clutch at the end. "I told my teammates — winning individual awards are great, but if you don't have anybody to celebrate it with, it doesn't matter." Will Smith and Andy Pages hit home runs for the Dodgers, who won for the eighth time in their last nine games. Austin Slater hit a two-run home run for the White Sox, while Sean Burke gave up one run on six hits over six innings. Los Angeles third baseman Max Muncy left the game just before Kershaw's milestone strikeout in the sixth inning when he injured his left knee. The White Sox's Michael A. Taylor also departed after the same play with a shoulder injury. With anticipation high for Kershaw to reach his milestone, the White Sox took some air out of the building by taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single from Andrew Benintendi. The Dodgers tied the game in the first on Smith's home run, his 11th of the season. The Dodgers went up 2-1 in the second when Pages hit his 17th home run. Chicago grabbed a 4-1 lead against Kershaw in the third when Slater crushed a two-run home run, his third, and Edgar Quero added an RBI single. Los Angeles tied it 4-4 in the ninth, scoring on a fielder's choice grounder from Ohtani and a sacrifice fly from Mookie Betts. Freeman ended it on a single to right against Steven Wilson, while Grant Taylor (0-1) took the loss after he was charged with three runs in 1⅓ innings. Kershaw, 37, became just the fourth left-handed pitcher to reach 3,000 strikeouts along with CC Sabathia (3,093), Steve Carlton (4,136) and Randy Johnson (4,875). Nolan Ryan is the all-time strikeout leader at 5,714. Kershaw is also the third active pitcher to reach the mark, along with Max Scherzer (3,419) and Justin Verlander (3,417). Scherzer reached 3,000 as a member of the Dodgers in September 2021. "If you look at the odds of doing it with the same team, the margins are very small to happen like this," Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said before the game. "The Dodgers faithful can really appreciate that they've been on this journey with Clayton for 18 years, so it's pretty cool."


Japan Today
11 hours ago
- Japan Today
Clayton Kershaw eyes 3,000th strikeout milestone in front of home fans at Dodger Stadium
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw works against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning of a baseball game Thursday, June 26, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) baseball By BETH HARRIS Clayton Kershaw takes the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night needing three strikeouts to reach 3,000 for the only team he's played for during his 18-year career. The three-time Cy Young Award winner is expected to achieve the milestone in front of his home fans at Dodger Stadium — where he has 1,627 Ks — when he faces the Chicago White Sox. Kershaw will become the 20th pitcher in major league history to reach the vaunted mark. He'll join Justin Verlander of San Francisco (3,468) and Max Scherzer of Toronto (3,412) as the only active pitchers with that many. Kershaw will be just the fourth left-hander in the club. Teammate Freddie Freeman has been reminding Kershaw daily how many Ks he needs to reach the milestone even as Kershaw remains focused on trying to give the team chances to win. The White Sox have the eighth-most strikeouts in baseball with 707, and average about nine per game. Kershaw is making history at a time when he's provided much-needed stability for the Dodgers' pitching staff, which has been decimated by injuries this season. The NL West-leading Dodgers have won his past five starts. He is 4-0 with a 3.03 ERA going into his ninth start — two more than he made in an injury-shortened 2024 season — of the year. Kershaw faces the White Sox seeking his 217th career victory, which would break a tie with Scherzer for second among active players behind Verlander's 262. The 37-year-old left-hander struggled in his first start of the season when he allowed five runs over four innings in his first start after returning from knee and foot surgeries last offseason. Since then, he has held opposing batters to a .222 average. Age and less dominant stuff has changed the way Kershaw does his job. He knows his consistency isn't the same but with the depth of the team's staff, he doesn't need to be perfect every outing. Kershaw no longer overpowers hitters the way he did during the height of his career, but he remains stubbornly determined and possesses a craftiness honed over 18 seasons as well as a slider that can still fool. In his prime from 2010 to 2015, he led the National League in ERA five times, in strikeouts three times and wins twice. Kershaw had one of the best seasons ever in 2014, when he finished with a 21-3 record, 1.77 ERA and 233 strikeouts to win both the Cy Young and Most Valuable Player in the National League. This season, the Texas-born Kershaw tied the franchise record for most seasons in Dodger blue, joining outfielder Zack Wheat and shortstop Bill Russell. Kershaw's wife, Ellen, and their children Cali, Charley, Cooper and Chance will be on hand. The couple recently announced she is expecting their fifth child. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.


The Mainichi
21 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Ohtani reaches 30 homers for 5th straight season as Yamamoto and the Dodgers beat the White Sox 6-1
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Shohei Ohtani reached 30 homers for the fifth straight season, hitting a fourth-inning drive after fouling a pitch off the plate umpire, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago White Sox 6-1 on Tuesday night. Ohtani fouled the ball off Alan Porter's right knee in the fourth. Ohtani checked on the umpire and stood by watching until Parker got up under his own power. The three-time MVP then hit a 408-foot shot to center, snapping an 0-for-6 skid and extending the lead to 6-1. Ohtani walked over and checked on Porter again during the seventh-inning stretch before leading off. Los Angeles scored its most runs this season in support of Yoshinobu Yamamoto (8-6), staking the Japanese right-hander to a 4-0 lead in the first inning. The Dodgers won for the 13th time in 16 games and opened a season-high, eight-game NL West lead. Every run in the game was scored with two outs. Yamamoto allowed one run and three hits in seven innings, struck out eight and walked one. White Sox rookie Shane Smith (3-6) got two quick outs in the first before walking Will Smith and Max Muncy back-to-back. Teoscar Hernandez followed with a RBI single, Andy Pages hit a run-scoring double and Michael Conforto a two-run single. Chicago's lone run came on Lenyn Sosa's RBI single in the third. Key moment Ohtani joined Seattle's Cal Raleigh (33) and Aaron Judge of the Yankees (30) as players with at least 30 homers by the All-Star break. Key stat The Dodgers had been averaging just 2 1/2 runs of support for Yamamoto. Up next White Sox RHP Sean Burke (4-7, 4.22 ERA) makes his first career start against the Dodgers on Wednesday. Los Angeles LHP Clayton Kershaw (4-0, 3.03) is three strikeouts from reaching 3,000 in his 18-year career.