Shohei Ohtani delivered another leadoff home run and Yoshinobu Yamamoto continued to shine on the mound Monday for the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 7-2 win against the Cleveland Guardians.

Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers is showered with seeds after hitting a leadoff home run against the Cleveland Guardians on May 26, 2025, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Yamamoto (6-3) allowed two runs on just three hits and two walks over six innings at Cleveland’s Progressive Field, while striking out seven.

He was able to take the mound with a 1-0 lead thanks to Ohtani, who led off with a home run for the second straight game.

The reigning National League MVP ripped the first pitch of the game from right-hander Gavin Williams (4-3) high over right field for his Major League Baseball-leading 19th home run. Ohtani also drew a pair of walks on his way to scoring three runs in a 1-for-3 outing.

Yamamoto set the tone for his latest quality start by striking out leadoff hitter Steven Kwan on three pitches. He threw 88 pitches, 55 for strikes, in his third straight start of at least six innings.

The right-hander also demonstrated his defensive prowess in the third, fielding a bunt from Will Wilson and diving to tag him as he was sliding into first base.

The outing was Yamamoto’s last for a month of May in which he went 3-1 with an ERA of 3.00 on five days’ rest between each of his five starts, down from six days in April.

“I always get a lot of help from my teammates. I’m happy I can contribute as a member of the team, even if only a little,” Yamamoto said. “I’ve been having a good five days off between starts and have been able to contend in games each week.”

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hits a leadoff home run in the first inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians on May 26, 2025, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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