Ohtani racks up 10 Ks

Shohei Ohtani struck out 10 Mets in six innings on Wednesday night, his first double-digit strikeout game of the 2026 season. (mlb.com) He allowed one earned run in an 8-2 Dodgers win at Dodger Stadium on April 15, and Los Angeles completed a three-game sweep of New York. (mlb.com) Ohtani struck out Luis Robert Jr., Brett Baty and Bo Bichette in order in the sixth inning, becoming the first Dodgers starter to reach 10 strikeouts this season. (mlb.com) The outing also stood out because Ohtani did not bat. It was the first time since 2021 that he pitched in a game without also appearing in the lineup as a hitter, with the Dodgers keeping him focused on pitching while he deals with a bruised right shoulder from a hit-by-pitch on Monday. (mlb.com) He threw harder than in his first two starts, reaching 100 miles per hour four times and topping out at 100.4 miles per hour against Francisco Lindor in the fifth inning. (mlb.com) The one earned run ended Ohtani’s season-opening streak of 32 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run, but his earned run average still sat at 0.50 through three starts. ESPN’s stat line listed him at 18 strikeouts, six walks and seven hits allowed in 18 innings. (mlb.com) (espn.com) Ohtani, 31, is in his third season with the Dodgers and remains listed as both a starting pitcher and designated hitter. Baseball-Reference lists his career major league pitching total at 678 strikeouts entering this season. (baseball-reference.com) On Wednesday, the Dodgers got the pitcher-only version of Ohtani and still got the result they wanted: six innings, 10 strikeouts and another win. (mlb.com)