Baseball: Ohtani goes deep in back-to-back games as Dodgers win
Shohei Ohtani hit his National League lead-extending 39th home run on Sunday, going deep for the second straight day as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1.
The Japanese star put the Dodgers on the board with one out in the fifth at Busch Stadium, pulling the first pitch from starter Sonny Gray (11-8), a curveball in the middle of the zone, for a solo shot. The line drive to right-center flew a similar trajectory to the one he hit Saturday against the same team.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (R) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, on Aug. 18, 2024. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Miguel Rojas singled in a crucial run with two outs for the Dodgers, while Lars Nootbaar, Ohtani’s World Baseball Classic-winning teammate with Japan last year, belted a solo homer in the eighth for the Cardinals.
Clayton Kershaw (2-2) threw six innings of four-hit ball to earn the win. Ohtani, whose home run was his only hit in his five trips to the plate, is batting .290.
Shota Imanaga (9-3) was tagged with a loss after allowing a run on four hits over five innings in the Chicago Cubs’ 1-0 loss against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The southpaw, who fanned six while walking one, gave up the game’s only run in the second when Joey Loperfido crushed his high 2-1 four-seamer at Wrigley Field.
“I’m not bothered at all about giving up a solo home run. Given my pitching style, I expect it,” Imanaga said. “But it’s no good if we lose the game because of that.”
