By Rory Carroll
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Shohei Ohtani hit his fifth home run in as many games to help the Los Angeles Dodgers secure a 4-3 walkoff victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday, tying a franchise record and moving closer to setting a new mark when the team opens a nine-game road trip Friday in Boston.
Ohtani gave the Dodgers an early advantage with a solo shot to left-center field in the first inning on a sun-soaked day at Dodger Stadium for his National League-leading 37th homer of the season.
The Japanese slugger became the first MLB player to hit home runs in five consecutive games since Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees achieved the feat last season.
He also matched the Dodgers’ franchise record for consecutive games with a home run, a milestone reached five times previously, most recently by Max Muncy in 2019.
The fear Ohtani puts in the hearts of opposing teams was laid bare when the Twins intentionally walked him with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, moving Mookie Betts into scoring position and Ohtani to first, where he represented the game-winning run.
Esteury Ruiz followed with a walk to load the bases, and Freddie Freeman lined a single to left field that got under the glove of the diving Harrison Bader, sealing the win and snapping the Dodgers’ recent slump.
“How we got here today, showing the fight and willing ourselves to get Freddie an at-bat to win a game like that, I’d like to think that is momentum building,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters.
Ohtani, who signed a 10-year, $700 million deal with Los Angeles prior to last season, is the frontrunner for a second consecutive NL MVP award and fourth overall.
After becoming the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season last year, Ohtani continues to produce at the plate, leading the NL in runs scored, slugging percentage and OPS.
He returned to the mound last month for the first time since August 2023 following a second surgery on his right elbow.
Roberts has limited Ohtani’s workload, with the two-way star pitching six times for a total of 12 innings this season as the NL West-leading Dodgers pursue a second consecutive World Series title.
The Dodgers open their road trip against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Friday.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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