MLB – Ohtani does it all: a first-inning blast and a 0.73 ERA.

Shohei Ohtani makes history: first-inning thunder and a clinic on the mound

The phenomenon Shohei Ohtani once again bent reality on Wednesday night at Petco Park. After three straight starts devoted entirely to the mound, the Dodgers superstar flipped back into his full two-way mode and steered Los Angeles to a 4-0 shutout of the Padres. On the first pitch of the game, Ohtani sent the ball into the seats, then blanked San Diego over five innings as his side took a crucial series against their Southern California rivals.

A legendary record goes out the window

By opening the scoring with a shot to right-centre, the Japanese star became the first pitcher in MLB history to hit two home runs as a leadoff hitter in a game, with the first coming in the 2025 Championship Series. Even more striking: it was the seventh time in Ohtani’s career that he’s homered in a game in which he allowed no runs on the mound. A rare feat that moves him level with the legendary Bob Gibson for the most such games since 1900.

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Let’s do it

The finishing touch to close the show

If his work at the plate set the tone, his outing on the mound demanded steel. Even without his sharpest stuff, Ohtani still slashed his earned-run average to a tiny 0.73, the best mark in MLB for a pitcher with at least 25 innings. His afternoon ended in dramatic fashion in the fifth: after loading the bases, he needed just one pitch to force Fernando Tatis Jr. into a rally-killing double play, walking off the field with the look of a man who knew he had done the job.

Into the MLB record books

With this blazing start, Ohtani now sits among the most dominant pitchers of the modern era (since 1920) through his first eight outings of a season, joining names such as Jacob deGrom and Fernando Valenzuela. Manager Dave Roberts is handling his jewel with care by keeping his bat out of the lineup every other game to protect his body, but nights like this are a reminder that Dodgers No. 17 is operating on a different level. “I really judge myself in big games when I don’t have my best stuff. This was one of those nights,” the prodigy said.

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