'Amazing' Ohtani, not human! 3⅔ innings perfect → 6 innings scoreless QS → 3 hits, 2 walks, 5 times on base... Leads LAD to 7-0 victory [LAD Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

At the very least, he is not human in terms of stamina. Shohei Ohtani (32, LA Dodgers) displayed overwhelming performance as a starting pitcher, pitching 6 scoreless innings, and as a batter, reaching base five times.

On the 4th (Korean time), Ohtani started for the Dodgers in a road game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, during the 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season. He pitched 6 innings, allowing 2 hits and 1 walk while striking out 6 batters, all scoreless, leading the Dodgers to a 7-0 victory.

With this, Ohtani lowered his ERA from 0.82 to 0.74 and continued his pursuit of the Cy Young Award. His season record stands at 10 games, 6 wins, 2 losses, 61 innings, 67 strikeouts, and a WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) of 0.79.

There were no significant crises. On this day, Ohtani threw a total of 89 pitches, including 42 fastballs, 34 sweepers, 10 curveballs, and 3 splitters, generating 9 swings and misses.

He continued a perfect pitching performance through 11 consecutive batters retired until two outs in the bottom of the 4th inning. Gabriel Moreno barely broke the perfect game with a double down the right-field line. However, Ohtani retired the next batter, Nolan Arenado, on a ground ball to third base, closing the inning without allowing a run.

Ohtani also recorded two strikeouts in the top of the 5th inning, retiring the side in order. It was only in the final inning that he walked Tommy Troy and allowed a hit to Perdomo, putting himself in a bases-loaded, one-out situation. However, he induced a 4-6-3 ground ball from Corbin Carroll, completing a scoreless quality start (starting pitcher pitching 6 or more innings with 3 or fewer earned runs).

His performance as a batter was even more remarkable. Starting as the leadoff hitter, Ohtani went 3-for-4 with 2 walks, 1 run scored, and 1 strikeout, breaking the 300th batting average mark for the season. He raised his batting average from 0.293 to 0.301, his on-base percentage from 0.411 to 0.420, and his OPS (on-base plus slugging) to 0.941.

The opposing pitcher was right-handed Jack Gallen. From his first at-bat in the top of the 1st inning, Ohtani hit Gallen's high fastball hard despite being behind 0 balls and 2 strikes, resulting in an infield hit.

In the top of the 3rd inning, Ohtani, leading off again, hit Gallen's slider, changeup, and knuckle curve, eventually drawing a walk. He advanced to third base on Andy Paredes' double to right field and scored on Freddie Freeman's hit to left field.

In the top of the 4th inning with one out and a runner on second, Ohtani reached base again via a walk. Gallen tried to induce a ground ball from Ohtani by pitching various breaking balls low, but failed. Even a curveball that dipped into the lower part of the strike zone was hit by Ohtani, and Gallen ended up issuing a walk by throwing a slider inside.

In the top of the 6th inning with one out and a runner on first, Ohtani hit a cutter inside from the new pitcher, Taylor Clarke, hard, resulting in a hit to left field. After a strikeout in the 7th inning gave him a moment of relief, Ohtani reached base again in his final at-bat in the 9th inning by hitting Ryan Thompson's slider to left field.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers, fueled by Ohtani's outstanding two-way performance, defeated Arizona 7-0, extending their winning streak to two games. Following the Atlanta Braves, they reached 40 wins (22 losses), the second-highest in the league, and maintained their first-place position in the National League West Division.

While Ohtani firmly held the mound, the lineup also exploded with 16 hits, both long and short, providing support. Freeman went 2-for-6 with 2 RBIs and 1 run scored, Kyle Tucker went 3-for-5 with 1 home run, 2 RBIs, and 1 run scored, Max Muncy went 2-for-5 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored, and Alex Freeland went 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs and 1 walk.

In contrast, Arizona fell into a two-game losing streak, dropping to 32 wins and 29 losses, widening the gap with first-place Dodgers to 7.5 games. Starting pitcher Gallen collapsed, pitching 5 innings, allowing 9 hits (1 home run), 2 walks, 1 strikeout, and 5 runs (4 earned), while the Arizona lineup was held to just 2 hits by Ohtani.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.