LOS ANGELES -- Shohei Ohtani didn't wait long to give the Dodger Stadium crowd something to cheer about in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Rangers. Leading off the first inning, Ohtani launched an 86.5 mph slider from Jack Leiter into the right-field seats, marking his first extra-base hit at home this season and his 25th career leadoff home run -- signaling that the Dodgers’ two-way superstar is beginning to heat up.
The home run did more than just provide an early lead; it extended Ohtani’s on-base streak to 45 consecutive regular-season games. With the first-inning blast, Ohtani moved into sole possession of fifth place on the Dodgers’ all-time list for the longest on-base streaks since 1900, surpassing Len Koenecke (1934) and Zack Wheat (1919-20). He now trails only Ron Cey (47), Willie Keeler (50), Shawn Green (53) and Duke Snider (58) in franchise history.
Ohtani's homer set the tone for the night, as a few batters later Teoscar Hernández clubbed a three-run home run of his own to stake the Dodgers to a 4-1 lead they wouldn't relinquish en route to securing a series victory over Texas.
"We always try to get a big inning, every inning,” Hernández said. “It’s just going out there, trusting the plan that we have for the day, and just putting the ball in play.”
The milestone for Ohtani comes one night after he made history by surpassing Ichiro Suzuki for the longest on-base streak by a Japanese-born player in Major League history. While Friday’s record-breaker was a modest fifth-inning single, Saturday’s leadoff homer was a reminder of the power that has defined Ohtani’s career. Before this homestand, manager Dave Roberts noted that while Ohtani had been drawing walks and reaching consistently, the power stroke was the final piece of the puzzle to getting hot.
On the Dodgers’ broadcast on SportsNet LA, play-by-play announcer Stephen Nelson remarked that Roberts had a feeling his home breakthrough was coming.
“I know Ohtani doesn’t have an extra-base hit or an RBI yet here at home,” said Roberts (via Nelson on the air). “Kinda crazy. But trust me it’s coming, and I think it’s coming tonight.”
While Ohtani provided the spark, starting pitcher Emmet Sheehan provided the stability. Despite surrendering a leadoff home run to Brandon Nimmo in the first and another two-run shot to Nimmo in the sixth, Sheehan turned in his most encouraging performance of the season to earn his second win.
Sheehan’s velocity, which had been a point of concern early this spring, showed a significant uptick. After averaging lower speeds in previous outings, Sheehan touched 96.6 mph on his four-seam fastball on Saturday. He finished the night with six strikeouts over six innings, allowing three runs on four hits.
“Everything felt a lot better. Stuff was playing and I was executing a lot better today,” Sheehan said, noting that a glove tap in his delivery helped sync his timing.
"One of the big things this week was just timing everything up. ... I think [the mechanical issue] was a big correlation to why the velocity was down.”
Roberts agreed that Sheehan is beginning to move past his early-season struggles.
“Tonight was probably his best velocity night,” Roberts said. “He was just in compete mode making pitches and really not chasing velocity. That’s what you’re looking for from a young pitcher.”
With the win, the Dodgers’ rotation has now seen its starters go at least five innings in 10 straight games, a stretch that has allowed the bullpen to remain fresh during the early weeks of the season.
“It’s been great, and I think that it speaks to those guys being efficient,” Roberts said. “Right now, these guys are allowing us to deploy the bullpen in their rightful spots. It’s nice to get our feet underneath us with the starting pitching as the season starts.”
Ohtani’s streak, which dates back to Aug. 23 of last season, remains the longest active run in the Majors as the club looks toward a series sweep on Sunday.