Ohtani Makes MLB History With Leadoff HR and 6 No-Hit Innings

Daniel Kim 2026.05.29 Views

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[MyDaily = Reporter Shim Hye-jin] Shohei Ohtani delivered another two-way performance for the LA Dodgers, homering as the leadoff batter and dominating on the mound.

The Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 4-1 on May 28 (KST) at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles opened the game with Shohei Ohtani (designated hitter) – Andy Pages (center) – Freddie Freeman (first) – Mookie Betts (shortstop) – Max Muncy (third) – Teoscar Hernández (left) – Will Smith (catcher) – Alex Cole (right) – Alex Freeland (second). Ohtani took the ball as the starter.

Ohtani had been hit on the right wrist by a pitch the previous day (May 27), raising questions about whether he could go two ways. The wrist turned out to be minor, and he proceeded as planned.

On the mound, Ohtani worked six innings of one-run ball, allowing no hits, issuing four walks and striking out seven. He picked up his third straight win and his fifth of the season. His ERA ticked up slightly from 0.73 to 0.82.

At the plate, he went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, one RBI and a strikeout. His season batting average climbed to .269.

MLB.com’s Sarah Langs noted the rarity of Ohtani’s game: a homer combined with six no-hit innings. The last player to hit a homer and toss six no-hit innings in the same game was Jake Arrieta on Sept. 27, 2015.

Ohtani retired the side in order in the first inning on the mound.

In the bottom of the first, he opened the offense with a blast. Facing Tomoyuki Sugano, Ohtani jumped on a 93.7-mph fastball and drove it over the center-field fence for a leadoff solo homer — his ninth of the season.

The blast made Ohtani the third starting pitcher in MLB history to hit a leadoff home run. He also hit leadoff homers as a starter in Game 4 of last year’s NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers and on May 21 this season — this was his third. No other starting pitcher in major-league history has hit a leadoff homer.

After one out, Freddie Freeman followed with a homer, and the Dodgers led 2-0.

In the second, Ohtani got a flyout and a strikeout for two quick outs, then issued a walk to Ezequiel Tovar. He closed the inning by inducing a Sterling Thompson groundout to second.

He was crisp in the third, retiring the side in order.

Leading off the bottom of the third, Ohtani struck out looking against Sugano.

The fourth inning brought trouble: Ohtani walked a batter and hit another, putting runners on. He got Troy Johnston to ground out to second to retire the lead runner. With one out and runners at the corners, Will Castro’s grounder to second produced a run. Ohtani ended the frame by striking out Tovar on three pitches.

He opened the fifth by walking the leadoff hitter on four pitches but retired the next three batters and kept the score unchanged.

In the bottom of the fifth with one out, Ohtani swung at Sugano’s seventh pitch, a 91.9-mph cutter, and grounded out to shortstop.

Ohtani returned for the sixth, worked a 1-2-3 inning and came out after six strong frames.

In his final plate appearance, with the Dodgers up 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh and two outs with a runner on third, Ohtani lifted the first pitch to left field for an out, squandering a scoring chance.

Shohei

The Dodgers put the game away in the bottom of the eighth when Andy Pages hit a solo homer.

An unexpected injury occurred in the bottom of the second. After grounding out and running to first, Teoscar Hernández left the game with a hamstring issue. Kim Hye-seong came in to play left field defensively in the top of the third.

Kim’s first plate appearance came in the bottom of the fourth with two outs. With a 1-1 count, he lined Sugano’s 92.5-mph sinker into center for a single, later advancing to third on Will Smith’s double and scoring on Alex Cole’s RBI single.

He didn’t reach in his second at-bat. In the bottom of the sixth with two outs and the Dodgers up 3-1, Kim faced reliever Brennan Bernadino. After showing bunt on the first pitch, he swung at the third pitch — a 78.9-mph curve — and grounded out to second.

Kim looked solid in left. In the seventh, Will Castro’s drive looked destined to clear the left-field fence, but Kim extended, turned his head and hauled it in — a no-look, sensational grab that drew applause from fans and teammates.

The Dodgers won 4-1, extending their winning streak to five games.

Kim