Two-Way Drama: Shohei Ohtani Fires 12th Homer but Misses Out on 7th Win in Dodgers' Reliever Meltdown
Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers started as a "two-way player" against the Pittsburgh Pirates on the 11th (Japan time). Although he showed his grit by blasting his 12th home run of the season—a two-run shot in the ninth inning—he was pulled in the seventh inning after giving up four runs (three earned) as a pitcher. The Dodgers suffered a painful 9-8 comeback defeat, evaporating Ohtani's chance for his seventh win of the season. Taking the mound, Ohtani battled through unstable weather conditions with a gritty performance. He pitched well through six frames but was unfortunately pulled in the seventh after giving up an RBI double. He ended the day throwing 102 pitches over 6 2/3 innings, allowing six hits, striking out six, and giving up four runs. Aided by a defensive error, only three runs were earned, earning him a Quality Start (QS). However, he fell just one out (1/3 of an inning) short of the required innings to qualify for the ERA leaderboards, leaving his ...