On Wednesday afternoon, Shohei Ohtani smashed his fifth home run in as many games, and in doing so tied the Dodgers franchise record. Six other Dodgers’ players have achieved the feat before, the last being Max Muncy in 2019. The two-way superstar will now look to become the first player in the Los Angeles club’s history to hit six in-a-row when they meet the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.
Ohtani Shines Despite Dodgers Bad Form
Last Saturday, Ohtani hit his 33rd homer of the season and had three RBIs in the Dodgers’ 8-7 defeat to the Milwaukee Brewers. His 34th came the following day against the same opponents, giving the Dodgers a 3-0 lead. The Brewers fought back, though, to win the game 6-5, inflicting a 10th defeat in 12 games for the team that lifted the 2024 World Series trophy.
On Monday, Ohtani became the first pitcher in over 45 years to give up and hit a homer in the first inning of the same game as the Dodgers defeated the Minnesota Twins 5-2. It was the 11th time in his career that he recorded three home runs in consecutive games. Against the same opponents the next day, he became the first ever Japanese player to make it four in-a-row in Major League Baseball. It was the Twins, though, that won the game 10-7.
Ohtani Leads National League Home Run Table
Ohtani’s 37th home run of the season came from a Chris Paddack curveball as the Dodgers defeated the Twins 4-3. Striking the ball hard, he cleared the center field fence. The last MLB player to go deep in five consecutive games was Aaron Judge last September. Ohtani is now the home run leader in the National League, ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ infielder Eugenio Suárez, who has 36. The Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh leads the way in the American League with 39.
