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Shohei Ohtani Shines Bright in Dodgers' Narrow Victory Over Royals
Shohei Ohtani continues to defy expectations, and Friday night was just another example of why the Dodgers committed $700 million to this once-in-a-generation talent. In what was a tightly contested 5-4 win over the Kansas City Royals, Ohtani delivered on both sides of the ball, showcasing the type of impact that makes him such a rare force in baseball today.
Let's start with the bat — because Ohtani wasted no time making his presence felt. In the very first inning, with the count 1-2, Royals pitcher Noah Cameron left a changeup hanging right in Ohtani’s wheelhouse. What happened next? A 429-foot no-doubter. A swing that sent the ball sailing into the fountains, clocked at 110 mph off the bat with a picture-perfect 35-degree launch angle. The whole stadium knew it the second it left his bat — Shohei had just lit the game on fire.
But he wasn’t done yet. In the fifth inning, Ohtani came through again with a screaming 112.4 mph triple into the gap. That one tied the game and set the table for Mookie Betts, who drove him in to give the Dodgers a 5-4 lead they wouldn’t surrender.
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It wasn’t a perfect game for L.A., not even close. Dustin May had a shaky start, allowing four runs in four innings. The defense had its hiccups too — Teoscar Hernández misjudged a fly ball that helped fuel a Royals rally. But even with only four hits total as a team, the Dodgers found a way, largely because Ohtani was brilliant.
While the offense is still waiting for big bats like Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts to heat back up — both of whom have been slumping lately — Ohtani has been carrying the weight. Since returning to the mound, he’s also been red-hot at the plate, smashing four homers and driving in 13 runs over his last 11 games.
And the pitching? That’s slowly coming along too. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shared before the game that Ohtani is expected to pitch into the second inning in his next start — a major milestone in his recovery from his second major elbow surgery. The club is being cautious, not locking him into a rigid role just yet. But the mere fact that Ohtani is toeing the rubber again is huge, both for him and the Dodgers’ rotation.
Ben Casparius is likely to follow Ohtani again in bulk relief, and with Dustin May’s ERA creeping up, the Dodgers may need more innings from alternative arms. But they’re playing it one outing at a time with Ohtani — seeing how he feels, how the pitch count goes, and adjusting accordingly.
For now, what matters is that Shohei Ohtani is not only back — he’s thriving. He’s leading the league in home runs, slugging, and OPS, and he’s once again starting to pitch. There’s simply no one else like him in the game. As Dave Roberts put it, there aren’t enough superlatives. He’s just great. And right now, he’s the heartbeat of a Dodgers team chasing another championship.
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