Shohei Ohtani breaks the ice: a Hollywood finish in front of Ice Cube 
Even in a 6-2 loss to the Giants, Shohei Ohtani found a way to remind baseball why he owns four MVP awards. On Ice Cube Bobblehead Night at Dodger Stadium, the script practically wrote itself: with the legendary rapper in the booth on commentary, Ohtani launched a 93.9 mph fastball into the left-centre field seats. Pure cinema. The kind of moment that lit up the stadium and the broadcast box.
The end of a rare power drought
That homer, his 7th of the season, had been coming. Before this night, the Japanese superstar was in an uncharacteristic slump for power, with just two homers in his previous 113 plate appearances. His first blast since April 26 felt like a release valve being opened. At that point it had put the Dodgers back in front 2-1, but it was Ohtani’s body language that really stood out: part childlike joy, part huge relief.
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Dave Roberts gets his leader back firing
“It’s pure relief,” manager Dave Roberts said after watching his player laugh and joke around in the dugout after the home run trot. Ohtani was even spotted, with a touch of irony, telling everyone to make sure the homer ball was tracked down. For Roberts, the value goes beyond the numbers: “When your best player does what he can do, it brings a fresh burst of energy to the whole dugout and frees up the other guys.”
Next stop: the mound
If the Dodgers could not protect the lead on Tuesday, the quality of Ohtani’s contact throughout the night was still a strong sign of things to come. The switch will be quick for the phenom: he will not be in the batting lineup on Wednesday, as he focuses solely on his duties as the starting pitcher. Los Angeles will be hoping Tuesday night was the spark that starts a much bigger offensive fire for the rest of the team. After snapping his own drought, Ohtani is now set to freeze opposing hitters from the mound.
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