On a blistering night under the open roof of Chase Field, Shohei Ohtani added another signature moment to an already dazzling Dodgers season, launching a three-run home run in the ninth inning to seal a thrilling 14-11 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The sound of the bat alone left no doubt–Ohtani had come through again, right when his team needed him most.
The game was already a classic when Ohtani stepped to the plate in the ninth. The Dodgers had blown a five-run lead, watched their pitching staff struggle mightily, and entered the final frame trailing 11-8. Then, as if flipping a switch, the offense returned to life. It might be a tremendous moment for fans who extend their experience by placing bets. According to Jake Turner, Delaware sportsbooks are the right place to come since they’re legal and available online and at physical locations. Still, some offshore sites might offer better promotions and bonuses than their brick-and-mortar counterparts. Freddie Freeman’s infield single set the stage, followed by RBI doubles from Andy Pages and Kiké Hernández. Max Muncy’s single tied the game. With one out and runners on, Michael Conforto took a pitch to the arm. The Diamondbacks, up against the wall, made a decision that would define the night.
Rather than pitching carefully to Ohtani and risking a walk to load the bases, Arizona brought in sidearming right-hander Ryan Thompson to challenge the reigning National League MVP. On a 1-2 count, Thompson left a splitter hanging over the middle of the plate. Ohtani didn’t miss. He launched it 426 feet into the right-field bleachers, flipping the score, the momentum, and the stadium’s pulse in one explosive motion. His reaction said it all–arms stretched, hands flapping, his bat discarded in triumphant defiance.
“You guys have heard me say how many times?” Muncy said afterward. “Sho keeps getting put in these spots that you expect the incredible–and he rarely disappoints.” Manager Dave Roberts echoed the sentiment: “It’s good to see him show emotion like that. It was great.” Through interpreter Will Ireton, Ohtani himself described it as “a game with a lot of passion.”
It certainly was. From the first inning on, both teams exchanged blows like heavyweights. Ohtani doubled twice in the early innings, contributing to a Dodgers outburst that saw them take an 8-3 lead after scoring five in the third. Roki Sasaki, pitching for L.A. on shorter rest than usual, surrendered a pair of early homers and continued to struggle with a fastball that has been inconsistent all season. He lasted just four-plus innings, giving up five runs.
Arizona responded with a vengeance. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. crushed a game-tying grand slam in the fifth, erasing the Dodgers’ lead in one swing. In the sixth, controversy erupted when a full-count sweeper from Luis García to Eugenio Suárez, which appeared to catch the top of the zone, was called a ball by home plate umpire Jeremie Rehak. The walk brought in a go-ahead run and led to the ejection of Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior. “There were some pitches that swung counts,” Roberts said later. “It gets emotional, always.”
With the win, the Dodgers improved to 26-13, while the Diamondbacks fell to 20-19. But more than the numbers, it was the way the game unfolded that left players and fans buzzing. In a game packed with big moments, none was bigger than the one that ended with the unmistakable crack of Shohei Ohtani’s bat.