SAN FRANCISCO -- Don't stop reading if this sounds familiar: Shohei Ohtani is doing things that very few Dodgers have done before. Just two, in fact, since 1900.
With an infield single off Giants reliever Erik Miller in the seventh inning of Tuesday's game against the Giants, Ohtani moved 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.
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.
The all-time on-base record is 84 consecutive games, set by Ted Williams in 1949.
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, manager Dave 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 extended or 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.