Ohtani extends on-base streak to 53, tying for longest in LA history

SAN FRANCISCO -- It was the seventh inning, and Shohei Ohtani had yet to reach base, with the longest active on-base streak in the Majors on the line. It was not a given that he would get another plate appearance, but he was at least in a favorable count.

Giants reliever Erik Miller uncorked a 3-1 slider that clipped the outside edge of the zone. Ohtani, already turning toward first base, tapped his helmet when home-plate umpire Junior Valentine called the pitch a strike. It was just the second pitch Ohtani had challenged as a hitter, and ABS confirmed it to be a strike.

Back in the batter's box, Ohtani took matters into his own hands, beating out a grounder to shortstop for an infield single to move into a tie for the second-longest on-base streak by a Dodger in the Modern Era, and the longest by a Los Angeles Dodger. Ohtani has reached in 53 straight regular-season games dating back to last year, matching Shawn Green's streak in 2000.

"You could see him hustling down the line to keep that inning going and to get that infield hit," manager Dave Roberts said after the Dodgers fell, 3-1, to the Giants on Tuesday night. "Shawn had a great streak. For him to tie that streak, or [potentially] eclipse, says a lot about Shohei. He’s really not hit his stride yet. He’s really not comfortable with his swing. It just shows that he’s an impact player. He’s getting on base. The streak speaks to that."

Ohtani has yet to get into his typical groove at the plate, hitting .271 with an .890 OPS through his first 23 games. But he has consistently helped create opportunities by getting on base.

• Could peak Ohtani have an even higher gear than we've seen?

On Wednesday, when Ohtani takes the mound for his fourth pitching start of the season, he'll have the chance to pass Green. That would put him four games shy of the Dodgers' Modern Era on-base record of 58 consecutive games, set by Duke Snider in 1954 with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

The all-time on-base record is 84 consecutive games, set by Ted Williams in 1949 with the Red Sox.

When Ohtani last started on the mound, the Dodgers opted to have him focus solely on pitching, leaving him out of the lineup a few days after being hit by a pitch on his right shoulder. He tossed a gem, striking out 10 across six innings of one-run ball.

The Dodgers have given some consideration to giving Ohtani a break from his full two-way duties again, but that won't be the norm going forward, and he is expected to hit and pitch on Wednesday. Asked before Tuesday's game whether Ohtani would be hitting the following day, Roberts took a beat to think before saying the two-way superstar would be in the lineup.

"I think that it makes a lot of sense that if you're … hitting while pitching, it takes a little bit of a toll," Roberts said. "He certainly has managed it really well, but if it makes sense, I'll have that conversation with him."

While Ohtani's on-base streak is active, it cannot be snapped unless he takes a plate appearance in a game. Being out of the lineup when he starts on the mound would not end the on-base streak.

When history is on the line for Ohtani -- like when he was closing in on creating the 50-50 club in 2024 -- he tends to play with some added urgency. But to Roberts, his challenging the pitch before getting the hit he needed wasn't a sign that Ohtani was chasing a streak, but rather that he saw that as his best chance to make something happen for a Dodgers team that managed only one run on three hits while stranding eight runners.

"It’s more of wanting to get on base," Roberts said. "It was the right time. I thought it was a smart play. It didn’t work out, but I thought it was a smart play. That’s the strategy. He’s driven just by winning and if he can get on base, it helps us win."