Ohtani homers in a way he’s never done before
Superstar slugger goes deep on 3-0 pitch for first time in career
Tim Stebbins
MILWAUKEE — On the night Mookie Betts showed he’s still Mookie Betts in his triumphant return to the Dodgers’ lineup, Shohei Ohtani also reminded everyone of the terror that Los Angeles’ top of the order inflicts.
Ohtani crushed a 424-foot opposite-field homer in the fifth inning of the Dodgers’ series opener against the Brewers, giving Los Angeles a four-run lead. It was Ohtani’s 36th homer of the season, and perhaps more notably, the first he’s hit in his career in a 3-0 count.
“He has the green light [3-0],” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He can fire whenever he wants to.”
Ohtani, who also walked in the seventh and then stole second base, is up to 36 homers and 33 stolen bases this season.
Brewers starter Freddy Peralta threw a 93 mph four-seam fastball off the outside corner, and Ohtani went out and got it. The blast had a projected 107 mph exit velocity, according to Statcast.
Ohtani entered Monday with 134 career plate appearances that ended on a 3-0 pitch. In 128 of them, he walked. He went 4-for-6 with a pair of doubles in the other six.
“It was very impressive,” Peralta said. “I don’t know how he was able to hit it that hard, and to the opposite side, too. At least it was probably the best hitter in the game. I should have made better pitches to him earlier.”
The Dodgers moved Ohtani to the leadoff spot when Betts fractured his left hand on a hit by pitch on June 16. Ohtani has exclusively hit leadoff since, and he’s been on a torrid run. In 46 games since June 17, he’s slashing .281/.393/.663 with 17 homers and 39 RBIs.
Ohtani’s homer on Monday followed a leadoff single by Kevin Kiermaier. Knowing Betts, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández were due up after him, Ohtani stayed aggressive on 3-0.
“Just being aggressive overall throughout the at-bat was important for me,” Ohtani said. “But also recognizing that Mookie, Freddie and Teo were behind. I think being aggressive, even in a 3-0 count, would be smart.”
Betts went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in his return. Even with a reconfigured 1-2-3 in the batting order, opposing pitchers having to face some combo of Ohtani, Betts and Freeman consecutively remains a daunting task.
“Not just me, but as a team I think we really feel the depth of our lineup,” Ohtani said. “It really showed tonight in how we played.”
