“I was just looking to put the ball in play” - Shohei Ohtani reflects on first walk-off hit as a Dodger in narrow victory against the Reds
Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani recorded his first walk-off hit as a Los Angeles Dodgers player on Sunday’ against the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium. He helped the Dodgers defeat the Reds 3-2.
Talking about his first game-ending hit in nearly four years, Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton:
"I just wanted to make sure I put the ball in play, and it worked out well… We dropped the first game of the series so we really wanted to finish strong.”
In nine innings the game was tied 2-2 before Shohei Ohtani’s hit in the tenth off Reds’ Alexis Diaz sealed the Dodgers' win.
“He has unique delivery so I just wanted to make sure that I put the ball in play and worked out well,” Ohtani said about facing Diaz.
The two-time AL MVP went 2 for 4 with a .353 batting average, .423 on-base percentage and .658 slugging percentage. He leads the National League with 13 homers and has stolen 11 bases.
“Overall, [it was a] special weekend. I wasn’t able to get a base hit during my bobblehead day, but I was able to end it on a very good note,” Ohtani said (via MLB.com).
The Dodgers have improved their season record to 32-17 and are set to begin a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday.
Shohei Ohtani has stepped up his game at the plate with runners in scoring position
At the start of the season, Shohei Ohtani struggled, managing only one hit in his first 21 plate appearances with runners in scoring positions.
The Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had some discussions with him about refining his approach, and the 29-year-old has shown significant improvement in his performance.
Speaking about the same, Roberts said (via MLB.com):
“It’s gotten better. I think that there’s certain times (when if) you can expand, you should expand. But I think, by and large, you need to stay disciplined in your strike zone, and certainly Shohei covers more than most players.
"But, you know, the last four weeks, he’s been very stubborn in the strike zone, earning good pitches to hit. And when they make mistakes, he takes advantage.”
Shohei Ohtani is now 12 for 50 with runners in scoring positions.