Shohei Ohtani delivered yet another incredible pitching performance on Wednesday.
Ohtani threw six hitless innings in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies. That result gave the Dodgers their fifth straight win and completed a series sweep.
Ohtani nearly led the Dodgers to a combined no-hitter, just days after the Houston Astros pulled off that same feat. But Tyler Freeman drilled a single in the eighth for the lone Rockies hit to break it up.
Ohtani had seven strikeouts and threw 99 pitches in his six innings. He now holds a 0.82 ERA through nine starts this season, which is easily the best mark of his career. By comparison, he held a 2.87 ERA over 14 starts last season, his first back on the mound after injuries limited him to only batting.
While he shined on the mound Wednesday, Ohtani also got the night started at the plate. He hit a leadoff home run to begin the Dodgers’ scoring. Freddie Freeman followed with a homer of his own later in the inning.
Ohtani is the first pitcher in Major League Baseball to both hit a home run and pitch six hitless innings since 2015. The last Dodger to pull off that feat was Don Drysdale in 1959.
While Ohtani didn’t give up a hit this time, the Rockies got on the board in the fourth inning. Ohtani walked TJ Rumfield to start the frame and then hit Hunter Goodman with a pitch, which led to Willi Castro driving Rumfield in on a groundout to second.
It was almost worse for the Dodgers, but Freeman was able to control a wild pickoff throw from Ohtani. Naturally, Ohtani was very relieved.
The Dodgers added another run in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single from Alex Call. Andy Pages hit a solo home run in the eighth for good measure. That gave the Dodgers the three-run margin.
The Dodgers now sit at 36-20 on the season. They’ve won 12 of their past 14 games and are in control of the NL West race as the second month of the season wraps up.
The Dodgers, however, lost Enrique Hernández and Teoscar Hernández to injuries Wednesday. Enrique was sent back to the IL due to a “significant tear” in his oblique. Teoscar pulled up awkwardly in the second inning while trying to run out a ground ball and was ruled out due to a left hamstring injury.
The Dodgers open a three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday. Ohtani is scheduled to take the mound next on June 3 against the Diamondbacks.
While it’s still early, Ohtani looks like he’s in peak form on both sides of the ball and ready to defend his three straight MVP titles this season.
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