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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Hernández: 'I have no words for it.' Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani inspires awe and confidence
They don't know what their rotation will look like in October, and they don't know how worn down their bullpen will look like. What the Dodgers know is this: They have Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani will give them a chance in October regardless of what their roster looks like, just as he did on Friday night in an 8-5 victory over the New York Yankees. Advertisement How can a player who takes four or five at-bats on most nights have such an oversized influence on games? How can a player who bats once only two or three innings bring opponents to their knees? How can a three-time MVP be a better offensive player than he was in his historic 50-homer, 50-steal season last year? 'I have no words for it,' outfielder Michael Conforto said. When Aaron Judge homered in the top of the first, Ohtani answered with a homer of his own in the bottom half of the inning. When the Dodgers were down by three runs, Ohtani led off the sixth inning with another homer, this one making Yankees starter Max Fried strike the Kershaw Pose, back to the plate, hands on knees, head down. The blast one ignited a four-run surge by the Dodgers that produced their first lead of the night. Advertisement This was on a night in which Mookie Betts was sidelined with a broken toe, Evan Phillips was ruled out for the remainder of the season because of an upcoming elbow reconstruction, and the Dodgers had no choice but to start the unreliable Tony Gonsolin because three pitchers of their opening-day rotation were on the injured list. Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, left, watches his solo home run leave Dodger Stadium as New York Yankees starting pitcher Max Fried, center, reacts and catcher Austin Wells watches during the sixth inning Friday. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press) Playing with a diminished roster, manager Dave Roberts did what he could before the game to downplay the significance of the World Series rematch against the Yankees, but Ohtani recognized the contest for what it was. This was a statement game, and Ohtani made a statement. Advertisement 'We try to win each and every game, of course, but I think it's a special atmosphere [against the Yankees,]' Ohtani said in Japanese. 'I think it was huge to have taken the [first game] of the series.' The homers were Ohtani's 14th and 15th of May, which tied a single-month franchise record previously shared by only Pedro Guerrero and Duke Snider. The homers were Ohtani's 21st and 22nd of the season, meaning Ohtani is on pace for a career-high 63 bombs. The value of Ohtani's homers extend beyond the numbers, however. They inspire awe. Read more: Shohei Ohtani homers twice and Dodgers pull off another comeback against Yankees Advertisement 'You don't want to miss any of his at-bats,' Conforto said. 'You want to be in the dugout. You want to see it in person. That's kind of what it is being his teammate. You want to be there.' They inspire confidence. 'Every time he comes up to the plate, we're expecting something awesome to happen,' Gonsolin said. 'And he doesn't let us down a lot of the time. Really cool to have someone like that on our team.' They inspire a contagious form of courage. 'He would probably say it's like any other game, but I do think when you see the reigning MVP [Judge] on the other side going out there and performing, that brings out even more of a competitor in Shohei,' Roberts said. Advertisement They inspire victories — the Dodgers are 14-6 when Ohtani homers. Read more: Mookie Betts dealing with fractured toe, won't start against Yankees this weekend 'We always seem to play really well when Shohei's playing well,' first baseman Freddie Freeman said. 'I heard the chants for MVP and he's really well on his way to doing that again.' This is what the Dodgers will need in October, especially in a season in which little has gone according to plan. At this point, they can't count on Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow to both be healthy for the remainder of the year. They can't expect their bullpen to be as spectacular as it was last year. But they can rely on Ohtani to make up for their shortcomings. Advertisement He will soon be able to affect the game from the mound, as the Dodgers expect him to return to pitching after the All-Star break. Rather than revel in the victory Friday night, Ohtani said in an on-field postgame interview with Apple TV that he was already looking ahead to his next day's assignment. 'Live bullpen is scheduled for tomorrow,' Ohtani said. 'The game is over now and I'd like to get my body in order for the live BP.' Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
New York Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Michael Conforto found a good night amid a brutal start: ‘It'll all click'
CLEVELAND — The big screen in left field at Progressive Field in Cleveland measures 59 feet tall by 221 feet wide and doesn't give you much room to hide. Especially if you're struggling. When Michael Conforto of the Los Angeles Dodgers looked up at the massive jumbotron before his first at-bat on Tuesday, he saw a .162 batting average that was second-worst in the major leagues. Then he collected a hit in his first at-bat against the Guardians, scalding a groundball through the left side of the shift for a single. Advertisement A more encouraging sign came in the sixth inning. Conforto worked a full count against reliever Hunter Gaddis and got the fastball he wanted. He did not miss it. Conforto got the type of contact he was searching for, smoking a fly ball to center field that carried out over the wall for a solo shot that took a weight off his shoulders. He hadn't hit a home run since April 5. Conforto couldn't hide his smile as he rounded the bases and returned to the dugout. Kiké Hernández and Teoscar Hernández each showered him with sunflower seeds. 'To hit a ball hard and see it leave the park, it's kind of everything that we've been working on,' Conforto said after the Dodgers' 9-5 win in which he went 2-for-3 with a walk. He had reason to relax, which he was reminded of throughout his trot. 'I heard Kiké as soon as I hit the ball, screaming,' Conforto said. Instead of the bounce-back season he was hoping for, Conforto's numbers have taken a nosedive. He's remained in the lineup nonetheless, a byproduct of the organization's $17 million investment in Conforto and the former All-Star's track record. He's produced at least a league-average offensive output by OPS+ in every season since 2016. Now, he's been one of the least productive full-time hitters in the sport. At some point, the production has to meet the expectations. Even the Dodgers acknowledge that obvious point. 'There's a point, yeah,' Roberts said. 'Production certainly warrants opportunity. I do feel his track record has given him a longer least, which he has earned.' So Conforto was in the lineup again on Tuesday, hitting seventh as he looks to get his season going again. His year started brilliantly: Conforto collected eight hits in his first 26 at-bats, with a pair of home runs and four doubles. Roberts' preseason optimism for Conforto appeared warranted. The slugger's batting line has cratered ever since. Advertisement 'Sometimes this game can be brutal,' Conforto said. The Dodgers have praised Conforto's work and repeatedly stressed how impressed they've been with how the 32-year-old has handled his struggles. That hasn't helped him crawl out of his nadir. As confounding as anything is that Conforto has actually hit the ball hard. His average exit velocity (90.6 mph) and hard-hit rate (46.5 percent) are his highest since his rookie season in 2015. But too many of those hard-hit balls have been pulled and on the ground, or hit the other way in the air. Just 13.9 percent of his batted balls have been pulled in the air, the lowest of his career, and hardly good enough to maximize that contact. It explains why Conforto's expected metrics, like expected batting average (.210), still aren't all that high. That comes down to Conforto's bat path, a particular point of emphasis with the team's hitting coaches as they work with the veteran. Roberts said baseball rewards a good swing with a good bat path at a good pitch to hit. 'That's what I believe,' he said. 'So when you don't have a good bat path, players seem to be where you're hitting them. There's a reason Freddie (Freeman) has thrown out 2,300 hits and guys like Derek Jeter have 3,000 hits. I think they've had good bat paths. That's something I think that Michael's mindful of and just continuing to work through.' Dodgers hitting coach Aaron Bates noted that Conforto was 'cutting across' with his swing, not leaving him nearly enough time to make optimal contact. Conforto said he's seeking to take as many pitches as possible to work counts in the bottom of the order, but coaches have urged him to get more aggressive early in counts while emphasizing good pitch selection. They've also tweaked how Conforto makes contact, trying to get the barrel out in front and meet the ball earlier to make his hard contact have more impact. Things have improved of late. Advertisement 'I thought the swing looked much better,' Roberts said Tuesday. 'The bat stayed in the hitting zone much longer.' None of it translated into results until Tuesday. 'It's easy to say as a coach or another teammate or player, just trust your swing,' Bates said. 'It's harder when you're in the moment there.' Conforto said he's seen signs that something could be shifting. He noted a swing on Sunday night against the New York Mets, when he drove a curveball low and in from right-hander Max Kranick that he thought he'd normally swing over. Conforto pulled it in the air, and it left his bat at 99.5 mph. Juan Soto ran and leapt to track it down for an out. 'That's kind of just a flash of what I feel like is coming,' Conforto said. Eventually, he added, 'It'll all click, come together.' 'There have been a lot of things that have clicked, in a lot of the work we've been doing. It's kind of getting that to transfer onto the field.' Tuesday marked Conforto's fifth multi-hit game of the season. Three have come in the past 17 days. Conforto's still thinking that scoreboard will change. 'Even though the numbers you see up there are results, the results only come if you're focused and locked in on process,' Conforto said. 'It's definitely a part of the thing. But I've been doing it for a long time. Doesn't mean it gets any easier.' (Top photo of Michael Conforto: David Richard / Imagn Images)
CBS News
6 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Ohtani hits major league-leading 20th home run in Dodgers' 9-5 victory over Guardians
Shohei Ohtani hit his major league-leading 20th home run of the season and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Cleveland Guardians 9-5 on Tuesday night. Michael Conforto and Max Muncy also went deep for the Dodgers. Dustin May (3-4) won his second straight start. The right-hander had a season-high nine strikeouts and allowed three runs in five innings. Daniel Schneemann had a three-run homer in the fourth inning as the Guardians dropped their third straight. José Ramírez extended his hitting streak to 20 games — the longest active run in the majors — with a base hit in the frame. Ohtani drove a cutter from Tanner Bibee (4-5) into the left-field stands to extend the Dodgers' lead to 4-0 in the fourth inning. It was the second time this season and 10th since Ohtani came to the majors from Japan for the 2018 season he has homered in three straight games. Key moment Muncy extended Los Angeles' lead to 9-3 with a three-run shot with two outs in the ninth inning. The homer was allowed by Nic Enright, who was making his second big-league appearance. Enright, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2022, was called up for the first time last Saturday. Key stat Ohtani is the third player in Dodgers history to reach at least 20 homers in the team's first 55 games. The reigning National League MVP joined Gil Hodges (21 in 1951) and Cody Bellinger (20 in 2019). Up next Los Angeles lefty Clayton Kershaw (0-0, 7.50 ERA) makes his third start of the season. Cleveland's Slade Cecconi was slated to pitch, but has had his start pushed back a couple days due to right groin tightness.
Associated Press
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Ohtani hits major league-leading 20th home run in Dodgers' 9-5 victory over Guardians
CLEVELAND (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit his major league-leading 20th home run of the season and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Cleveland Guardians 9-5 on Tuesday night. Michael Conforto and Max Muncy also went deep for the Dodgers. Dustin May (3-4) won his second straight start. The right-hander had a season-high nine strikeouts and allowed three runs in five innings. Daniel Schneemann had a three-run homer in the fourth inning as the Guardians dropped their third straight. José Ramírez extended his hitting streak to 20 games — the longest active run in the majors — with a base hit in the frame. Ohtani drove a cutter from Tanner Bibee (4-5) into the left-field stands to extend the Dodgers' lead to 4-0 in the fourth inning. It was the second time this season and 10th since Ohtani came to the majors from Japan for the 2018 season he has homered in three straight games. Key moment Muncy extended Los Angeles' lead to 9-3 with a three-run shot with two outs in the ninth inning. The homer was allowed by Nic Enright, who was making his second big-league appearance. Enright, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2022, was called up for the first time last Saturday. Key stat Ohtani is the third player in Dodgers history to reach at least 20 homers in the team's first 55 games. The reigning National League MVP joined Gil Hodges (21 in 1951) and Cody Bellinger (20 in 2019). Up next Los Angeles lefty Clayton Kershaw (0-0, 7.50 ERA) makes his third start of the season. Cleveland's Slade Cecconi was slated to pitch, but has had his start pushed back a couple days due to right groin tightness. ___ AP MLB:
CBS News
14-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Jacob Wilson goes 4 for 5 with a pair of 2-run homers to lead A's over Dodgers 11-1
Rookie Jacob Wilson hit a pair of two-run homers and the Athletics pounded out a season-high 18 hits in beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-1 on Tuesday night to open a three-game series. Wilson went 4 for 5 and had four RBIs, boosting his batting average to .363. His 58 hits are second in the majors behind Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees. The 23-year-old shortstop from Los Angeles had his eighth multihit game in his last 12. He had his first career four-hit game last week against Seattle. Wilson has struck out just nine times and leads American League rookies in batting average and several other categories. Jeffrey Springs (5-3) got the win, allowing one run and six hits in seven innings. He struck out four. The Dodgers returned from a season-long, 10-game trip to lose at home where they are 15-4. Michael Conforto had a career-high three doubles for the Dodgers, who had won 11 of 15. The Dodgers' lone run came on Wilson's fielding error that scored Chris Taylor in the third. Landon Knack (2-1) took the loss, giving up five runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas pitched the ninth and the A's took advantage. He gave up back-to-back homers on consecutive pitches to Miguel Andujar and JJ Bleday, who went deep on a 39-mph pitch. The A's had a season-high five homers in the game. Conforto and Will Smith were a combined 6 for 8 while the rest of the Dodgers had two hits. RH Gunnar Hoglund (1-0, 2.38 ERA) makes his third start of the season on Wednesday for the Athletics since being called up from Triple-A Las Vegas against Dodgers RH Yoshinobu Yamamoto (4-3, 1.80). ___ AP MLB:
