ANAHEIM, Calif. — A few days off seems to have helped Shohei Ohtani get on track as the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger drove in a season-high five runs against his old team Saturday night.
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Ohtani went 2 for 4 with two walks and scored two runs in the Dodgers’ 15-2 win over the Angels — and even had a Little League home run in the eighth inning.
“We were hoping to get a reset with a couple days off,” manager Dave Roberts said, “and I think that’s what happened.”
With another large contingent of Dodgers fans in attendance for the second game of the three-game Freeway Series, Ohtani got back to his highlight-reel self late in the game.
He ripped a ball into the right field corner in the eighth and it took an awkward bounce off the netting down the first-base line. Jo Adell didn’t play the ball at first, calling for a ground-rule double. But when no ruling was made, Adell was left trying to play catchup. His throw into the infield wasn’t on target, allowing Ohtani to score on the error after a two-run triple.
The netting down to both foul poles is a new addition to Angel Stadium this season and was not here when Ohtani won two American League MVP awards in six seasons with the Angels from 2018-23.
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“I just kept running,” Ohtani said through a translator in a postgame television interview.
Angels manager Kurt Suzuki challenged the play in vain, hoping a fan had touched the ball when it hit the net before going back into play.
Ohtani then cracked a double with the bases loaded in the ninth, drawing “MVP” chants while notching his first game with five RBIs since June 22, 2025. It was his third extra-base hit in two games, including a double in the fifth inning on Friday, after getting one in the first 12 games in May.
The loss of power started during an 0-for-17 slump from April 29-May 4.
“Just happy to be performing in front of both Dodger fans and Angels fans,” Ohtani said. “I’m really happy I was able to contribute a lot today.”
Read more Shohei Ohtani has 5 RBIs and Dodgers take advantage of Angels’ mistakes in 15-2 rout
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
