Shohei Ohtani surpasses Yankees rival with 19th HR, but falls short of Dodgers record
Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani tallied his 19th home run of the year in Monday's game against the Guardians. The 378-foot bomb to right field off Cleveland starter Gavin Williams put Ohtani to the top of the home run lead — ahead of Yankee captain Aaron Judge who is one homer short.
In addition, the reigning NL MVP's solo shot tied Cody Bellinger and Hall of Famer Roy Campanella for the second-most home runs in the first 54 games as a Dodger with 19 — ultimately falling one home run short set by Hall of Famer Gil Hodges in 1951.
"Most home runs in team’s first 54 games, Dodgers history: 1951 Gil Hodges: 20, 2025 Shohei Ohtani: 19" - @ Sarah Langs"
Although Ohtani fell short of the mark, it certainly is nothing to scoff at as he's in the presence of two Hall of Famers and a former MVP in the form of Bellinger.
After a rough stretch to start the 2025 campaign, Shohei Ohtani is back to his usual self having tallied 19 home runs, 33 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. The 30-year-old superstar is batting at a .295/.392/.648 clip with an OPS of 1.040 and has barged in conversations to defend his MVP crown this year.
Dodgers dismantle surging Guardians
The reigning champion Dodgers controlled the tempo from the onset and managed to dominate the soaring Guardians in Game 1 of their three-game series in Cleveland.
Shohei Ohtani smashed his 19th home run of the 2025 campaign on the first pitch he saw for a leadoff bomb. The lead would double in the following inning through Andy Pages' RBI single. Cleveland would cut the lead to one when Gabriel Arias reached home via a fielder's choice. However, the champions would continue to pour on the runs in the succeeding frames.
Teoscar Hernandez and Max Muncy each contributed RBI in the fifth while Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman tacked on two more in the sixth. Kyle Manzardo tried to spark a comeback in the following half inning through an RBI single but Will Smith dashed all hopes as he clobbered his fifth home run of the year in the final frame.
On the mound, ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto won his sixth game of the year after giving up just two runs on three base hits with two walks and seven strikeouts through six innings.
With the victory, the Dodgers further solidified their record that now stands at 33-21. As for the Guardians, the team now holds a 29-24 record that is tied with the Twins in the AL Central standings.