Ohtani Leads Dodgers to Win with Hitless Innings and HR

Shohei Ohtani held the Rockies hitless for six innings and hit a leadoff home run during the Dodgers' 4-1 victory over the Rockies on Wednesday night. Despite achieving this impressive feat, Ohtani appeared frustrated on the mound, expressing his emotions clearly to those listening. Manager Dave Roberts praised Ohtani, stating, "The great ones, you look at six innings, no-hit ball. That could've been seven or eight. That's what makes guys like that special."

Ohtani's outing marked the beginning of a no-hit bid against the Rockies, which was continued by Will Klein in the seventh inning. Tanner Scott was responsible for two outs in the eighth but surrendered a hit to Tyler Freeman, ending the no-hitter. Nevertheless, the Dodgers managed to sweep the series at Dodger Stadium. Ohtani remarked, "I would rather take the days where I get hit a little bit but still be efficient, rather than walking and just not being able to pitch deeper into the game."

After being hit by a pitch on his right hand the previous day, some may have had concerns about Ohtani's two-way performance. However, he quickly alleviated those worries by hitting a leadoff homer for the second consecutive start. This made him the only pitcher in Major League history to hit a leadoff home run, with two previous instances occurring during a two-way performance in Game 4 of the 2025 NL Championship Series and again last week in San Diego.

Ohtani faced Rockies starter Tomoyuki Sugano, marking the 21st matchup between Japanese-born starting pitchers in MLB history. Ohtani not only outperformed Sugano at the plate but also on the mound. He allowed four walks, a season high, and hit a batter, which gave the Rockies one run in the fourth inning. Still, Ohtani struck out seven batters and maintained a remarkable ERA of 0.82.

Reflecting on his performance, Ohtani said, "The takeaway, if any, the positive is that they didn’t really have any hard hits. And that’s the positive." He became the first pitcher to hit a home run and not allow a hit in the first six innings of a game since Jake Arrieta did so on September 27, 2015. Ohtani drove a four-seamer from Sugano 424 feet to center field, marking his ninth home run of the season. This was the second occasion where Ohtani homered in consecutive pitching starts, previously achieving this in June 2023.

Despite showing signs of frustration, Ohtani's resilience kept the Rockies at bay, allowing him to continue dominating on the mound. His mentality and competitive nature have enabled him to successfully manage challenging performances throughout the season, as highlighted by Roberts: "But this guy is just a crazy good competitor."