The Los Angeles Dodgers gave out a Shohei Ohtani bobblehead on Thursday showcasing their superstar stealing a base, in celebration of his unprecedented 50-50 season. He flashed the other part of that accomplishment during the game.
The reigning NL MVP hit two homers in the first four innings as part of a 15-run Dodgers onslaught against the Athletics, tying him for the MLB lead in homers with 15. First, he took a ball from A’s reliever Jason Alexander 382 feet to the opposite field (video above).
And then he took Alexander 418 feet to center field.
It’s been another hot start for Ohtani this season, as he’s now slashing .313/.413/.681 plus 10 stolen bases and an MLB-best 48 runs after the second homer. He is currently on pace to post 55 homers and 39 stolen bases, which would be historic had it not been for what he did one year ago.
If Ohtani homering on his bobblehead night sounds familiar to you, it’s because this is the third straight time he’s gone deep on a bobblehead night.
Last season, he hit led off the game with his 42nd homer of the season, just as his 50-50 campaign was really heating up. The Dodgers had been giving away a bobblehead featuring Ohtani and his dog Dekopin that night, with Dekopin throwing an adorable first pitch.
The next bobblehead night came early this season, with Ohtain hitting a walk-off homer to make the Dodgers the first reigning World Series champion to begin a season with eight straight wins.
So this was the second Ohtani bobblehead night of the season. The bad news for the Dodgers’ opponents on Aug. 27 and Sept. 10 is that he has two more scheduled for those days, as part of a 21-bobblehead lineup on the Dodgers’ promotional schedule this year.
Ohtani is doing all this while still recovering from the elbow surgery he underwent at the end of the 2023 season. His return time remains hazy, as his offseason rehab was thrown off after tearing the labrum in his non-throwing shoulder during the 2024 World Series. He’s mostly thrown bullpens this season, but remains roughly a couple months away from taking the mound again.
As long as he’s still hitting homers, the Dodgers probably aren’t going to worry about that side of his game too much.
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