Ohtani strikes out 10

Shohei Ohtani struck out 10 Mets in six innings on April 15, his first double-digit strikeout game of the 2026 season, as the Dodgers beat New York 8-2 at Dodger Stadium. (mlb.com) The Dodgers used Ohtani only as a pitcher, not as a hitter, for the first time since 2021 while he managed a bruised right shoulder from a hit-by-pitch earlier in the series. He allowed one run on two hits and two walks, and Los Angeles finished a three-game sweep. (espn.com) Ohtani’s fastball reached 100.4 miles per hour, his hardest pitch of the season, and he threw four pitches at 100 or better in the fifth inning after MJ Melendez’s run-scoring double ended his scoreless start to the year. (mlb.com) He got 22 swings and misses, his most in a game since 2023, and 13 came on the four-seam fastball, a career high, according to ESPN Research. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the pitcher-only setup let Ohtani “channel” his energy into one job. (espn.com) The outing was a sharper version of the balancing act that defines Ohtani’s season. Since Major League Baseball adopted the “Ohtani Rule” in 2022, he has usually stayed in the batting order on days he starts, but the Dodgers backed off that routine on April 15. (espn.com) His earned-run streak still carried weight even after Melendez scored. The run ended Ohtani’s 32 2/3-inning regular-season streak without an earned run dating to 2025, while his 48-game on-base streak stayed alive because he never came to the plate. (mlb.com) The Dodgers gave him room late. Dalton Rushing, filling the designated hitter spot, hit a grand slam in the eighth inning, his fourth home run of the season and the first grand slam of his major league career. (mlb.com) By the end of the night, Ohtani was 2-0 with a 0.50 earned run average through three starts, and he had become the first Dodgers starter to record 10 strikeouts in a game this season. Friday in Colorado is his next chance to test whether the lighter two-way workload lasts more than one turn. (espn.com)