LOS ANGELES — On Shohei Ohtani bobblehead night, opposing pitchers beware.
The Dodgers superstar went deep twice and drove in six runs in Thursday’s 19-2 rout of the A’s, on the same night that his team gave away a bobblehead commemorating his one-of-a-kind 50-50 season.
For those keeping track at home, Ohtani is up to 15 homers and 10 stolen bases, putting him at roughly a 55-36 pace. He’s ahead of where he was last year, when he had 12 homers and 10 steals through the Dodgers’ first 44 games.
Ohtani’s first multihomer showing this season moved him into a tie with the Yankees’ Aaron Judge and the Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber for the Major League lead in home runs with 15 apiece.
Ohtani has now gone deep in his last three bobblehead nights, beginning with the highly anticipated giveaway that featured Ohtani holding his beloved dog, Decoy, last August. He hit a leadoff blast off the Orioles’ Corbin Burnes that day.
This year, on April 3, Ohtani’s first bobblehead commemorated his third unanimous MVP Award. After the Dodgers rallied back from an early deficit and excitement built throughout the evening, he walked off the Braves with a solo shot to secure an undefeated 8-0 start to the Dodgers’ title defense.
There are two more Ohtani bobblehead giveaways scheduled for this season, on Aug. 27 vs. the Reds and Sept. 10 vs. the Rockies. Judging by how the last few have gone, expect Ohtani to rise to the occasion, as he tends to do.
Ohtani’s six RBIs were a season high, starting with a sacrifice fly in the second that drove in Dodgers top prospect Dalton Rushing, who notched his first hit in his Major League debut.
Ohtani’s first homer of the night was a three-run blast in a wild third inning where the Dodgers batted around, plating seven runs in total. With his team holding a secure double-digit lead, manager Dave Roberts opted to give Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Andy Pages the night off early after that big frame.
But Ohtani wasn’t done yet. His two-run blast in the fourth gave his team an absurd 13-run lead. The Dodgers combined for a season-high five homers in all, surpassing their previous mark of four — which was set the night before in Wednesday’s 9-3 win over the A’s.
