"We played well offensively and Glasnow pitched good" - Shohei Ohtani praises Dodgers' all round performance in series-tying win over Angels
Shohei Ohtani's rich vein of form continued during the series against his former club, the Los Angeles Angels, as he hit another home run from the leadoff spot. The Japanese went yard in consecutive days, but this time the overall result was a good one for the Dodgers as they took the spoils 7-2 at home.
Shohei Ohtani made headlines earlier in the offseason when he made the move to Dodgers from the crosstown rivals. The 29-year-old hit a no doubter in the first game as well from the leadoff spot but the Angels bounced back to take the win 3-2.
It has been a productive week overall for the generational talent as he has hit six home runs in seven games to take his tally to 23, one behind Gunnar Henderson, who is placed second to Aaron Judge. At this pace, Ohtani is expected to hit a career-high 52 home runs in the seasons.
Ohtani's two run blast came in the bottom of the third against Angels starter Zach Plesac. With another hard hit ball cloking at 115.5 mph, Ohtani's homer went 459 ft., becoming the first player to hit two home runs in excess of 450 ft. at Dodger Stadium.
Speaking about the overall Dodgers performance in the post-game interview, Shohei Ohtani praised the all-round effort and also dropped a mention for Tyler Glasnow, who pitched seven innings of one-run ball to secure his personal win.
"We overall played really well offensively, especially well and Glasnow pitched really good," Ohtani said through his interpreter Will Ireton.
Shohei Ohtani making the leadoff spot his own
The Dodgers are definitely not missing Mookie Betts' as Shohei Ohtani has more than enough to show that he can bat in the leadoff spot. After Betts left with an arm fracture, resulting from a hit by pitch in game against the Royals, Ohtani was pushed to the front of the lineup.
In the last seven games, six of which have been in the leadoff spot, Ohtani is batting 13-27 with an average of .481 with 12 RBIs, 7 walks and just two strikeouts. He will look to continue the form as the Dodgers keep the strangle hold over the NL West.