LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani homered for the fifth consecutive recreation on Wednesday, tying a Los Angeles Dodgers franchise file.
Yankees star Aaron Choose was the final participant to homer in 5 consecutive video games, engaging in that feat final yr.
Ohtani, who leads the Nationwide League with 37 residence runs, homered within the first inning off Minnesota Twins starter Chris Paddack.
He hit a sluggish curveball 441 ft to heart.
He carried the bat halfway down the first-base line after which did a bat flip.
He didn’t hit a house run later within the recreation with the Dodgers trailing, however his presence was felt.
With two outs and the Twins main by one run, Rocco Baldelli elected to place Ohtani — the potential successful run — on base.
Esteury Ruiz drew a stroll to load the bases, setting the stage for Freddie Freeman, who delivered a two-run hit to left discipline.
Betts and Ohtani scored to provide the struggling Dodgers a much-needed 4-3 win.
Ohtani didn’t converse to the media after the sport.
“It was the right decision,” Dave Roberts mentioned of Baldelli deliberately strolling Ohtani. “He’s got five in a row now (games with homers), which is pretty impressive. He continues to use the big part of the field and hit breaking balls, hit fastballs, so that’s been really good. And so that’s been really good. And yeah, I mean, Shohei comes up with a chance to win the game so you got to take your chances with their closer and against Esteury (Ruiz). And fortunately, Esteury put together a good at bat to get Freddie up there.”
Requested if he was stunned the Twins made that transfer, Roberts mentioned: “No, no, I wasn’t surprised. It was the right decision. Just didn’t work out.”
That is the seventh time in Dodgers historical past {that a} participant has homered in 5 consecutive video games. Ohtani joins Max Muncy, Joc Pederson, Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp, Shawn Inexperienced and Roy Campanella in that membership.
Ohtani, a three-time MVP, is batting .276 with 70 RBIs. He’s additionally pitched properly in six video games and is scheduled to throw 4 innings on Monday in Cincinnati as he’s getting shut in his buildup as a starter, getting back from his second proper UCL restore surgical procedure.
With an off day on Thursday, Ohtani’s subsequent likelihood to see if he can homer in six consecutive video games will likely be in opposition to the Purple Sox in Boston.
The file for consecutive video games with a house run is eight, which has been held for a very long time by Dale Lengthy, Ken Griffey Jr. and Don Mattingly. Griffey Jr. was the final participant to do it in 1993.
Roberts was requested if he thinks Ohtani can attain eight consecutive video games.
“Well, I don’t know that answer,” Roberts mentioned. “I do know that if he has the same approach that he’s had the last week, that Green Monster is very short. So any fly ball that he hits will be a homer. So he’s just got to continue to have that same approach when we go to Boston, and then we’ll see what happens.”
