■MLB White Sox 3-4 Dodgers (26th Japan time, Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago, Illinois)

Shohei Ohtani (29) of the Dodgers started as leadoff hitter and designated hitter in the away game against the White Sox on the 26th (Japan time), with 2 hits in 4 at-bats, 1 home run, 2 RBIs and 1 walk for a batting average of .320. This was his 24th home run in 2 games and his 31st multi-hit game of the season. His 9-game RBI streak is the longest for a Japanese player and is tied for the longest for the team.

Deployed as the leadoff hitter and designated hitter, Ohtani is performing well with 11 hits in 27 at-bats for a batting average of .407, four home runs, and 12 RBIs. The day before, manager D. Roberts (52) praised Ohtani’s ability to judge the strike zone, saying, “His talent alone is already on another level, but now his discipline at the plate has taken him to another level.”

The White Sox’s starting pitcher was C. Flexen (29), who has a career record of 3 hits in 18 at-bats, a batting average of .167, 1 home run, and 1 RBI, making him a weak pitcher. In his first at-bat in the first inning, with the count at 2-2, he caught a curveball and swung hard, despite the ball’s speed of 150 km/h, distance of 114.6 m, and angle of 31 degrees, which was a rather weak hit. It was his 24th home run in two games. There was also a rare scene of him missing the base as he rounded first base and rushing back.

His consecutive game RBI streak is the longest for a Japanese player, and he also tied the club record with nine. He is the fifth player in the club to have nine consecutive games with RBI, tying the longest record, and the first in 69 years since Roy Campanella in 1955.

Dodgers starter B. Miller (25) gave up three runs in the first inning, and the team was overtaken. In the second inning, the team faced a runner on first and second with two outs. The players gathered around the mound, and shortstop M. Rojas (35) gave Miller a strong pep talk, which helped Miller get out of the jam.

Then, in the third inning, in Ohtani’s second at-bat, trailing by two points at 1-3, he came up to bat as the leadoff batter and carefully assessed the ball, drawing a walk. He understood the game situation and reached base. With one out and a runner on first, No. 3 hitter F. Freeman (34) hit his 12th home run, a two-run shot into the left field stands to tie the game.

With the score at 3-3 in the fourth inning, with two outs and runners on first and third, Ohtani’s third at bat took a full swing at the first pitch, a cut ball on the outside corner, which he fouled off. Then, on the second pitch, this time a cut ball on the inside corner, he folded his arms, swung compactly, and hit a game-winning hit in front of right field. This was his 31st multi-hit game of the season.

In his fourth at-bat in the sixth inning, he struck out swinging against left-hander T. Banks (32), the second White Sox batter, and in his fifth at-bat in the ninth inning, he also struck out swinging against the fourth White Sox batter, J. Brebbia (34). Ohtani had two hits in four at-bats, one home run, two RBIs, and one walk for a batting average of .320. This was his 24th homer in two games and his 31st multi-hit game of the season.

At the end of the Dodgers game, Ohtani was batting .320 with 24 home runs, the highest in the league, and 60 RBIs, placing him in third place, four RBIs behind the Braves’ Ozuna and the Phillies’ A. Bohm (27) who had 64. Meanwhile, in the American League, Yankees’ A. Judge (32) hit his 29th grand slam against the Mets, leading the league with 29 home runs and 75 RBIs, and is third in the league with a batting average of .304.

After the game, in an interview with the local broadcasting station, he said, “I’m hitting the balls well, so that’s probably the best thing. The best thing is that I’m able to see off the balls well.” Regarding his awareness of hitting a home run as the leadoff batter, he commented, “I’m not doing anything special, but I think that by repeating my good at-bats, it will produce good results for the team.”