'Leadoff home run + 5 innings scoreless' Ohtani's outstanding performance! LAD defeats SD to achieve winning series → Kim Hye-seong with 1 hit; Song Sung-mun sits out

*This content was translated by AI.

LA Dodgers 'superstar' Shohei Ohtani (32) put on a one-man show that rewrote Major League Baseball history, gifting his team a valuable winning series. Dodgers Kim Hye-seong (27) added a single to help the team secure the victory, while San Diego Padres' Song Sung-mun (30) sat out.

On the 21st (Korean time), the Dodgers secured a decisive 4-0 victory over San Diego in an away game at Petco Park in San Diego, California, USA, in the '2026 Major League Baseball (MLB)' season. They held the San Diego batters scoreless, controlling the game from start to finish.

With this win, following their 5-4 victory the previous day (20th), the Dodgers achieved a winning series and extended their winning streak to two games, reclaiming the top spot in the National League West Division.

Ohtani truly dominated the game. Starting as both the pitcher and the leadoff hitter, Ohtani went 1-for-4 with 1 home run, 1 RBI, 1 walk, and 2 runs scored, achieving multiple on-base opportunities.

Especially, a historic record was broken from his first at-bat. Entering the batter's box as the leadoff hitter in the top of the first inning, Ohtani hit a leadoff home run, providing immediate run support for himself as the starting pitcher. This marks the first time in MLB regular season history that a starting pitcher batting leadoff has hit a leadoff home run. It was a moment that set a new milestone in 126 years of MLB history since the 1900 season.

Later, in his third at-bat in the fourth inning, Ohtani drew a walk to reach base, then scored on a sacrifice fly by a subsequent batter and Kyle Tucker's RBI single, contributing to the team's third run.

He was also perfect on the mound. Over 5 innings, Ohtani allowed 3 hits, 2 walks, and recorded 4 strikeouts without allowing any runs, lowering his season ERA to 0.73 and securing his fourth win of the season (with 2 losses).

As a pitcher, Ohtani retired the side in order from the first through third innings, completely dominating the San Diego lineup. After getting out of a jam in the fourth inning by inducing fly balls from subsequent batters, Ohtani faced his biggest crisis in the bottom of the fifth. He allowed consecutive hits and a walk, putting the team in a dire situation with one out and bases loaded.

However, Ohtani induced a double play—shortstop to second baseman to first baseman—with just one pitch against slugger Fernando Tatis Jr., ending the inning without allowing a run and roaring in triumph. Having fulfilled his role, Ohtani handed the mound to relief pitchers in the sixth inning, maintaining a scoreless game.

However, the fortunes of the Korean players who faced off that day were mixed. Kim Hye-seong, who started the game as the ninth hitter and second baseman, contributed to the victory with 1 hit in 4 at-bats. In contrast, Song Sung-mun, who had drawn high expectations, did not play in the game and remained on the bench throughout.

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*This content was translated by AI.