CHICAGO — Midway by his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani appears to be like fairly snug along with his new environment.
The Japanese slugger has been a sweet-swinging Hollywood blockbuster up to now.
The Dodgers are on prime of the NL West with a 50-31 report, and Ohtani has performed a serious function of their robust begin. The 2-time AL MVP is batting a career-high .320 with 24 homers, 60 RBIs and a 1.032 OPS in 78 video games.
“It is actually about attending to know the blokes,” Ohtani mentioned Tuesday night time by an interpreter. “You understand I had my first impression, however actually attending to know who the persons are and the group.
“As I acknowledged earlier than, I made a decision to signal with this staff and wished to do the perfect that I can to slot in. So I believe total, wanting again, it has been a very good first half.”
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Ohtani, who turns 30 on July 5, agreed to a record-shattering $700 million, 10-year contract in December. The 2-way sensation is not pitching this yr whereas he recovers from elbow surgical procedure, and it appears to be like as if placing extra of his give attention to hitting helps him on the plate.
“The fact is the workload has been quite a bit much less,” Ohtani mentioned. “So I am unable to deny that. However on the identical time, as a hitter, I have been getting higher and total I believe I have been rising as a hitter, too.”
Ohtani hit a leadoff homer throughout Tuesday night time’s 4-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox, extending his RBI streak to a career-high 9 consecutive video games — matching a franchise report. He walked and scored within the third inning, after which hit a tiebreaking RBI single within the fourth.
Ohtani moved into the leadoff spot after Mookie Betts was sidelined by a damaged left hand. He’s batting .419 (13-for-31) with 5 homers and 14 RBIs in eight video games since Betts received harm.
“I do not know what extra we will actually say about him,” Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman mentioned. “I believe we have mentioned every little thing we will since he entered this league, about what a tremendous participant he’s. However once you come over right here, you simply by no means understand how first yr’s going to go on any staff.
“Generally you simply received to step again and simply respect a participant like this.”
Ohtani drove a dangling curveball from Chris Flexen into the customer’s bullpen in right-center for his NL-best twenty fourth homer. White Sox proper fielder Tommy Pham tried to make a leaping seize on the play, however was unable to convey it in.
Ohtani received so caught up in monitoring the ball that he carried his bat as he jogged up the road. After discarding his lumber, he went again to the touch first base as a result of he was involved that he missed the bag the primary time round.
“Simply wasn’t fairly certain that I stepped on the bag,” he mentioned.
It was Ohtani’s second leadoff homer of the season and No. 8 for his profession. He’s the primary participant to drive in not less than one run in 9 consecutive video games for the Dodgers since Corridor of Fame catcher Roy Campanella in 1955.
Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned Ohtani is being extra selective on the plate, and it is paying off.
“If you try this,” Roberts mentioned, “you earn pitches within the strike zone, and when he does that, a variety of particular issues occur.”