LOS ANGELES — Coming out of the All-Star break, all Shohei Ohtani has done is hit dingers.
Ohtani tied the Dodgers’ franchise record by homering in his fifth straight game on Wednesday afternoon, taking Twins starter Chris Paddack deep for a solo shot in the first inning. He became the seventh Dodger to achieve the feat, joining:
The last Major Leaguer to go deep in five straight was Aaron Judge from Sept. 21-26, 2024.
But the Dodgers have won just two of five games during Ohtani’s power surge. They went down to their final out in Wednesday’s rubber game to walk off the Twins, 4-3, on a two-run single from Freddie Freeman.
Before Tuesday night, Ohtani had 11 streaks of three straight games with a home run in his career, but he had yet to make it four in a row. He set his personal best with a two-run blast off Twins closer Jhoan Duran in the ninth inning — the first home run Duran had allowed in more than a year — before extending it on Wednesday afternoon.
With his 37th homer of the season, Ohtani took the National League lead back from a surging Eugenio Suárez. Only the Mariners’ Cal Raleigh (39) has outhomered Ohtani.
Before the home run streak began, Ohtani’s production had taken a dip following his return to pitching on June 16. He hit .200 in 26 games between then and Friday, although he still hit seven homers and posted an .813 OPS in that span.
The Dodgers have not been concerned about Ohtani’s step back at the plate, especially as he continues to adjust to being a two-way player once more. He has done this before, and he’s done it at an elite level, winning two MVP Awards while balancing full-time designated hitter and starting pitcher duties in 2021 and ’23.
