LOS ANGELES – Shohei Ohtani blasted a leadoff home run for the second day in a row, while Roki Sasaki battled through four innings in an up-and-down start Sunday for the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 5-2 loss to the Texas Rangers.
Ohtani’s first career matchup with Texas ace Jacob deGrom lasted just one pitch, with the four-time MVP launching a towering shot to the seats behind right center field to break the ice at Dodger Stadium.
The two-way superstar, who homered to lead off the Dodgers’ half of the first inning in Saturday’s 6-3 win over Texas, extended his on-base streak to 46 games, the longest by a Japanese-born player in Major League Baseball.
The 37-year-old deGrom (1-0) shook off the early setback and shut down the Los Angeles offense through the remainder of his six innings, helping Texas avoid a series sweep.
The two-time Cy Young winner struck out nine while allowing four hits and three walks, including one intentionally to Ohtani, who went 1-for-3 with two walks.
The sailing was less smooth for opposing starter Sasaki (0-2), who struck out an MLB career-high six batters but needed 94 pitches to complete four innings, leaving the final five frames to the bullpen.
The 24-year-old right-hander allowed 10 baserunners, also a career high, on five hits and five walks, but showed composure as he pitched out of trouble and limited the damage to just two runs.
He incurred both runs in the top of the third, on Evan Carter’s solo home run and Josh Smith’s two-out RBI single.
“My biggest regret is not being able to pitch another inning because of my high pitch count,” Sasaki said. “On the positive side, I managed to persevere with runners in scoring position and was able to get strikeouts.”
Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto is scheduled to make his next start against the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, with Ohtani set to take the mound for the series finale the following day.