The Los Angeles Dodgers continued their dominance over the Colorado Rockies, securing their 10th consecutive victory against them with a 4-1 win on Wednesday. This matchup featured two of Japan’s baseball stars on the mound, but it was the Dodgers who showcased their prowess, highlighted by a stellar performance from Shohei Ohtani and a rare outing from Tomoyuki Sugano.
Making his first career start at Dodger Stadium, Sugano faced an uphill battle against a relentless Dodgers lineup. The game began ominously for the right-hander when Ohtani launched a lead-off home run on Sugano’s third pitch, marking his ninth homer of the season and giving the Dodgers a fast 1-0 lead. Remarkably, this was the third time in MLB history that a pitcher hit a lead-off home run, with Ohtani being the only player to accomplish this feat.
After Andy Pages flew out, Freddie Freeman followed suit with an opposite-field blast, his seventh home run of the year, extending the Dodgers’ lead to 2-0. Sugano managed to regroup, retiring the next two batters to escape the first inning, including a strikeout of Max Muncy. From that point on, Sugano settled down, allowing only four more hits after the two home runs.
However, the fourth inning proved troublesome for Sugano. Following a single from Hyeseong Kim and a double from Will Smith, Alex Call connected for an RBI single to score Kim. A strong throw from Troy Johnston prevented Smith from reaching home, ending the inning with the score at 3-0.
In the fifth inning, Sugano recorded two quick outs but a throwing error by third baseman Willi Castro allowed Pages to reach base. With Freeman coming up, manager Warren Schaeffer opted to pull Sugano after 4.2 innings, during which he allowed three runs on six hits, struck out three batters, and issued just one walk.
“Sugano, I thought, gave us a chance to win,” Schaeffer commented. “Just a couple of homers in the first inning, but then he settled in.” The manager acknowledged Sugano’s overall performance, noting some command issues but praising his resilience.
On the other side, Ohtani was equally impressive on the mound, not allowing a hit through six innings while striking out seven Rockies. Despite his strikeouts, Ohtani struggled with command, issuing a season-high four walks and hitting a batter. The Rockies managed to put together some quality at-bats, but their lone run came in the fourth inning when T.J. Rumfield, who had drawn two walks, crossed the plate after a fielder’s choice and a groundout from Castro.
Ohtani exited after six innings, making history as the first starting pitcher to allow one run on no hits with four walks and seven strikeouts over six innings. His unique outing also marked the first time since 1971 that a player hit a home run and pitched six no-hit innings.
“Ohtani, we couldn’t find a barrel tonight,” Schaeffer said, reflecting on the challenges his team faced against the two-way star. “I thought we made him work… gave us chances to score but couldn’t get the knock.”
With a well-rested bullpen, Schaeffer felt confident lifting Sugano in the fifth, bringing in Brennan Bernardino, who completed a quick 1-2-3 sixth inning. Antonio Senzatela took over in the seventh, navigating a leadoff walk and preventing further damage. However, in the eighth, Pages hit his 13th home run of the season, extending the Dodgers’ lead to 4-1.
As the Rockies finally recorded their first hit in the eighth inning with a single from Tyler Freeman, Kyle Hurt came in to close the door in the ninth, completing the sweep for the Dodgers. Following this defeat, the Rockies will have a day off before welcoming the San Francisco Giants to Coors Field for their upcoming homestand, with Michael Lorenzen set to face Logan Webb.
Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.
