If there was any doubt that Shohei Ohtani wouldn’t win his second straight NL MVP, those doubts were officially silenced after he clobbered his 50th home run of the season while dazzling for five no-hit frames on the mound.
Ohtani became the first player in Dodgers history with multiple 50 home run seasons— let alone one— and is now the first player in baseball history to hit 50 home runs and strike out 50 hitters in the same season. All this while trying to keep his team afloat in the National League
playoff picture in the pursuit of a first round bye.
Ohtani has already proven in his time with the Dodgers that he can contribute in the postseason— disregarding a shoulder injury that derailed his World Series numbers— but the newest test will see how well he is on the mound in October. Ohtani spoke with Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA postgame on Tuesday about his dominant start and how it’ll prepare him for the playoffs.
“I felt like everything went according to the plan this outing… It was pretty impressive to be able to come up with a really good game plan.”
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Out of all the moments to describe as “rock bottom” for Tanner Scott’s 2025 campaign, it came on Friday as he served a walk-off grand slam to the light hitting Patrick Bailey in the Dodgers’ 5-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants. Since then, he has been lights out over his past two appearances.
Could this finally be the turning point for Scott? Dave Roberts, who has put Scott in high regard and has only given his reliever the benefit of the doubt, is hopeful that it is the case, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.
“I really believe without a doubt that, for us to win the World Series, we’re gonna need him. For me, I don’t see any other side. So the most important thing is for him to get the confidence that baseball doesn’t hate him, and he’s the best option when he goes out there.”
Stop me if you’ve heard this before; a Dodgers starting pitcher limits the opposing team to zero hits only for the bullpen to blow the lead and the team’s chances of winning. Well, it happened again on Tuesday night, as the Dodgers bullpen allowed nine runs to the Philadelphia Phillies after Shohei Ohtani tossed five no-hit innings.
Blake Treinen took the loss on Tuesday after allowing the Phillies to score three runs in the ninth inning, and he spoke with Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA after another frustrating loss thanks in large part to the bullpen.
“I can promise you, from the bottom of our hearts, we are trying our darnedest every single night. There’s nothing we haven’t done, there’s no stone we haven’t unturned… It’s literally just sometimes, thing aren’t working… Obviously, it’s been a frustrating stretch.”
