Shohei Ohtani continues to amaze in more ways than anyone can ever imagine – including with a walk-off home run on his own bobblehead night at Dodger Stadium.
With the game tied 5-5 in the bottom of the ninth, Ohtani stepped up to the plate and delivered a walk-off solo home run to lift the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Atlanta Braves 6-5 on Wednesday night.
The Dodgers, the reigning World Series champions, improved to 8-0 to start the new Major League Baseball season – the best start ever for a defending champion.
Last season, Ohtani had a season to remember, taking home his third-career MVP award after a historic 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases during the regular season.
Ohtani has picked up right where he left off this year.
Wednesday’s home run was the third of the season while hitting .333 in eight games with two stolen bases.
After the game, Ohtani said he “was looking for a really good pitch to hit” but another interaction also led to the home run.
“One of the fans was telling me it’s your bobblehead night, you better get a hit,” Ohtani told Spectrum SportsNet LA, while laughing via his translator. “I am glad I was able to do that.”
Thousands of fans had lined up early before the game, hoping to score an Ohtani bobblehead.
As for the Braves, its been a season to forget up to this point.
Atlanta falls to 0-7 after blowing a 5-0 lead heading into the bottom of the second inning.
Braves manager Brian Snitker called it a “shame” the squad couldn’t get their first win.
“But that’s up to us,” Snitker told reporters. “We had it there and we couldn’t finish the deal. We’re going to take the day off and reset and hopefully come out on Friday and get something done.”
The Dodgers will start a three-game series in Philadelphia against the Phillies while the Braves return to Truist Park for their home opener against the Miami Marlins on Friday.
Unfortunately for the Dodgers, they aren’t the only undefeated team. And to make matters more sticky, the other team is a divisional foe.
The San Diego Padres defeated the Cleveland Guardians 5-2 on Wednesday to improve to 7-0 on the season for the first time in franchise history.
It will be a little bit before both teams will face each other, with the first series between the two rivals beginning on June 9 at Petco Park in San Diego.