Padres’ Rodolfo Durán picks off Shohei Ohtani with pinpoint precision

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The San Diego Padres watched Rodolfo Duran pound his first MLB hit on a home run Saturday. Now he out-smarted Shohei Ohtani in rare fashion against the Los Angeles Dodgers Monday night.

Not many have claimed individual wins over the two-time Most Valuable Player winner. Except Duran picked off the two-time World Series winner with pinpoint precision: Tagging him out at second base here.

Ohtani attempted to steal the middle base. But Duran read Ohtani’s movement perfectly and fired off the laser to get him out during the top of the fourth. Freddie Freeman then struck out facing Michael King on the mound, fanning him with an 87 miles per hour changeup for the third out.

But Duran continues to show immediate growth after his call up by manager Craig Stammen. San Diego lured the catcher back on May 7 with Luis Campusano placed on the injured list. Duran came over from the Padres’ Triple-A El Paso affiliate while Campusano nursed a left toe fracture. San Diego also transferred pitcher Joe Musgrove to IL to help make room for Duran.

Duran only batted once through six innings against Los Angeles. He hasn’t pounded a hit yet, but is establishing himself more on the defensive side.

The back-to-back World Series champions have struggled with getting runs. King surrendered four hits but struck out nine Dodger batters. He’s currently dueling with 2025 WS MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the hill, with the Dodgers star striking out seven but allowing two hits.

San Diego led 1-0 through the six innings with designated hitter Miguel Andujar scoring the lone run.

Padres’ Rodolfo Durán picks off Shohei Ohtani with pinpoint precision

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