Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a solo home run in the third inning against the Kansas City Royals at Dodger Stadium on June 16, 2024. Kyodo
Shohei Ohtani crushed a pair of solo home runs, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 3-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.
The win, however, was overshadowed by Mookie Betts leaving the game with a fractured left hand after being hit by a pitch in the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium.
Ohtani got the team on the board with his 18th homer of the season, a 451-foot blast to center in the third inning.
In his next trip to the plate in the sixth, Ohtani sent his 19th into the right-field seats to double the lead. Freddie Freeman then followed with his 10th home run.
Ohtani's second two-homer game of the season put him one behind National League home run leader Marcell Ozuna of the Atlanta Braves.
"I'm glad that we won the series," Ohtani said after the Dodgers took the three-game series 2-1. "I've been working every day to try to make my swing right, so I'm glad that things are working out the way I'm hoping."
On Betts, Ohtani said, "He's obviously a very important part of the team, and if he's out for some time, then it's really up to the rest of the team to pick him up so that we can continue."
Tyler Glasnow (7-5) pitched seven dominant innings, striking out nine and allowing just three hits, all singles, with a walk. Brady Singer (4-4) took the loss after six innings of work.
Among other Japanese players in the major leagues, Detroit Tigers pitcher Kenta Maeda (2-3) gave up four runs in five innings in a 4-1 loss to the Houston Astros. Kyodo
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