Shohei Ohtani crushed a fastball for a 440-foot, two-run homer for the 1,000th hit of his career in a Los Angeles Dodgers loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Aug. 7 (UPI) -- Shohei Ohtani once again displayed his dynamic dominance, hitting a 440-foot home run for the 1,000th hit of his career while issuing a season-high eight strikeouts and allowing just two hits and one run.
Unfortunately for the Los Angeles Dodgers, his efforts came in a narrow loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday in Los Angeles.
"I think it would have been a huge win for us if we would have been able to flip the switch," Ohtani told reporters. "I think I could have done better with the quality of the at-bats in the middle part of the game."
The three-time MVP went 1 for 3 with two RBIs, a run scored, a walk and a strikeout in the 5-3 setback at Dodger Stadium. He was not on record for a pitching decision.
Ohtani retired the first six Cardinals hitters in order. Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan plated right fielder Jordan Walker for the first run of the game with an RBI bunt single in the top of the third.
Dodgers left fielder Alex Call doubled to start the bottom of the inning. Ohtani came to the plate two at-bats later to face Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore.
The left-handed pitcher missed the strike zone with a high slider to start the exchange. Ohtani fouled off his next pitch to even the count. Liberatore then threw a 92.8-mph sinker near the middle of the zone.
Ohtani got under the pitch and launched it over the left field fence. The two-run shot, which traveled 109.5 mph off his bat, gave the Dodgers a 2-1 advantage.
The Dodgers pushed their advantage to two runs when center fielder Andy Pages scored off a throwing error in the fourth, but would not score again.
Cardinals left fielder Lars Nootbar cut into the deficit with an RBI ground out in the top of the sixth. Walker tied the score with an RBI single in the eighth. The Cardinals also took the lead during that sequence due to another Dodgers throwing error.
Nootbar drove in the final run of the night with an RBI double in the ninth.
Nootbar went 1 for 5 with two RBIs and two strikeouts in the win. Walker went 3 for 5 with an RBI and run scored. Donovan, catcher Pedro Pages, first baseman Alex Burleson and shortstop Masyn Winn recorded two hits apiece in the victory.
Liberatore allowed six hits and three runs, including two earned, over four innings, but was not on record for a decision.
Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman went 3 for 4 in the loss. Left fielder Alex Call went 2 for 3 with a run scored for the Dodgers.
Ohtani hit .276 with 39 home runs and 75 RBIs through his first 113 games this season. He also leads MLB with 106 runs scored. His 268 total bases lead the National League. He also owns a 2.37 ERA over eight starts as a pitcher in 2025.
The Dodgers (66-49) remain in first place in the National League West, two games ahead of the second-place San Diego Padres (64-51). They will open a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays at 10:10 p.m. EDT Friday in Los Angeles.
The Cardinals (58-58) are in fourth place in the National League Central, 13 games behind the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers own MLB's best record (70-44).
Category: Baseball
