CLEVELAND — Mishits by most players end up being outs.
For Shohei Ohtani, they can result in home runs.
The Japanese star became the third player in Dodgers history to reach 20 homers in the team’s first 55 games with a two-run towering drive during the fourth inning against the Cleveland Guardians.
The Japanese star joined Gil Hodges (21 in 1951) and Cody Bellinger (20 in 2019) as Dodgers with at least 20 homers in the first 55 games. It is the 64th time a player in the majors did it in the same span, the first since the New York Mets’ Pete Alonso in 2023.
“It’s really cool. A little bit jealousy probably. You know, he basically mishits a fly ball today and it still goes out,” said Max Muncy, who added a three-run homer in the Dodgers’ 9-5 victory. “It’s just one of those things where he does that stuff that no normal human beings can do. It’s really fun to watch and see it.”
Ohtani — a three-time MVP who leads the major leagues in homers — drove a cutter from Tanner Bibee into the left-field stands for a 4-0 lead. It was the fourth time this season Ohtani has gone deep to the opposite side.
“It wasn’t flushed, but it was spun the right way. It was just one of those balls that when he hit it, it just kept going like a helium ball,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It is true that he has a lot more margin for error than everyone else on the planet. Maybe him and (New York Yankees slugger Aaron) Judge.”
Bibee struck out Ohtani in the first inning and issued an intentional walk in the second. The right-hander thought he got out of the fourth inning when he saw Ohtani hit it, only to see it keep carrying.
“I think a lot of people thought it was a popup. I mean, I did too. It was definitely crazy seeing that go up,” Bibee said.
It was the second time this season and 10th since Ohtani came to the majors from Japan for the 2018 season he has homered in three straight games. That also includes a stretch of eight in the last 13 games.
The fastest Ohtani had gone deep 20 times in a season prior was 70 games into the Angels’ season in 2021.
It is the third time the four-time All-Star has had at least 12 homers in a month since joining the Dodgers. He did it in June and August last season.
The most homers Ohtani has hit in a month was 15 with the Los Angeles Angels in June 2023.
Of Ohtani’s 245 big league homers, 37 have gone to left field.
“He’s just been much more disciplined in the strike zone,” Roberts said. “He’s swinging at his strikes and he’s taking balls that are not in the hitting zone. And I think that if you look at that stretch, he’s walking a lot more too. When he’s willing to take the walk and be ready to hit the balls in his hitting zone, that’s where you see kind of the slug and when he gets on a tear.”
