Baseball: Ohtani homers but Senga gets win as Mets beat Dodgers
KYODO NEWS - 10 hours ago - 15:19 | Sports, All
Kodai Senga surrendered a leadoff home run to superstar countryman Shohei Ohtani before steadying the ship and earning his fifth win as the New York Mets saw off the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 on Sunday.
Ohtani tied for the Major League Baseball lead with his 18th home run when he launched Senga's 1-0 fastball 411 feet to the upper deck beyond right center field in the opening frame at Citi Field.
Senga (5-3) was soon able to work with a lead, however, thanks to Pete Alonso's two-run homer with two out in the bottom of the inning.
The Japanese right-hander left the game after 5-1/3 innings in which he struck out five while scattering five hits and four walks.
"Ohtani is a great player. It wasn't about changing my mindset (after the home run), I just kept thinking about doing my job," said Senga, whose Mets won two of three in their series against the World Series champion Dodgers.
In practice before the game, Ohtani made his much-anticipated mound return against hitters for the first time since undergoing his second major elbow surgery in September 2023.
The two-way star threw 22 pitches across five simulated plate appearances, striking out two and allowing only one hittable ball.
"I knew my speed would go up with a batter in the box," he said. "Since it was my first time, I tried not to throw at 96 or 97 miles per hour, but it was getting up there towards the end. I think I can keep things in check a little more."
At Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park, Chicago Cubs designated hitter Seiya Suzuki crushed his 14th home run, a tie-breaking three-run blast, in an 11-8 comeback win over the Cincinnati Reds.
Suzuki capped off a 3-for-4 outing when he broke an 8-8 deadlock in the top of the eighth with his big fly to left field off right-hander Luis Mey, taking his RBI total to 49 this season.
Related coverage:
Baseball: Shohei Ohtani likely to return to mound after All-Star break
Baseball: Suzuki hits 13th home run as Cubs roar back to beat Reds
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