Shohei Ohtani was not in the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup for the first time this season but they still managed to defeat the New York Mets behind home runs from Hyeseong Kim and Teoscar Hernández.
With that, the Dodgers swept the Mets for the first time since doing so over four games from June 19-22, 2017. The Dodgers also improved to 9-0 against the National League this season.
Dodgers 8, Mets 2: key takeaways
Jackie Robinson Day celebration
Hours before first pitch, the Mets and Dodgers gathered for a reflection ceremony at the Jackie Robinson statue in the center field plaza. Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick was among those to address the group.
Manager Dave Roberts began the tradition on Jackie Robinson Day in 2021, and they’ve been joined by the opposing team each year since 2023.
Power swings
Kim provided the Dodgers with an early lead by hitting a two-run homer in the second inning. The home run was Kim’s first of the season and another encouraging sign of the work he’s done on his swing mechanics since the end of last year.
Hernández later provided an insurance run with his opposite-field shot in the sixth inning, Dalton Rushing broke it open with a grand slam in the eighth and Kyle Tucker added a solo homer for good measure. Rushing was in the lineup at designated hitter.
Shohei Ohtani’s start
Limited to only pitching because of a bruise in the back of his right shoulder as a result of getting hit by a pitch on Monday night, Ohtani held the Mets to just one run over six innings.
His streak of not allowing an earned run ended at 32.2 innings, when MJ Melendez hit an RBI ground-rule double that landed just out of Kyle Tucker’s reach because of an inefficient route. It was the longest streak of Ohtani’s career and had been the longest active stretch of not allowing an earned run.
It also was the longest such stretch by a Dodgers pitcher since Max Scherzer in 2021.
Ohtani responded to having it snapped by throwing four of his next five pitches over 100 mph to get two outs. He finished with 10 strikeouts over six innings of one-run ball.
Wednesday was the first time Ohtani did not hit while starting as a pitcher since May 28, 2021. That game was with the Los Angeles Angels and came prior to MLB implementing the two-way rule that allows Ohtani to remain in a game after being removed as the pitcher.
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