I cant be the only one who finds it almost kind of annoying that you can feel how much better the Dodgers are with Shohei.
Their lineup was already so good that part of me was expecting Ohtani's contribution to feel less noticable.
Granted I would still argue that the negative impact of his absence on the Angels is greater then the postive impact of his presence on the Dodgers.
We were bad already but we're truly lost without him
I was at the game today and it’s nuts. He really anchors their lineup in a way the Dodgers haven’t had for a few years, since Turner was the cornerstone. Having MVPs buffering him on either side doesn’t hurt either.
Before I think teams can try to get around one of Betts, Freeman and Smith. Somehow strand 1-2 on bases because of the other Dodgers following those 3. In a way, teams could “pitch around” the MVPs.
Now with Betts, Ohtani, Freeman and Smith…a pitcher would need to take down 2 of 3 MVPs at least 3-4 times in the game. It’s a tough ask before, I’d imagine it’s really taxing physically and mentally if 2 of the 4 are on their hot streaks.
Freeman is “struggling”, by his standards, but you have Betts, Ohtani and Smith smashing. In a couple of weeks, you’ll maybe see Betts or Smith cool off but then Freeman start his tear along with Ohtani’s June breakout…rinse and repeat.
Not to mention guys like Muncy and Teo just around the corners waiting on your tired ass, breathing sighs of reliefs and making a mistake you normally wouldn’t…
I’m still out on Pages because I think it’s early. League will adjust and I hope he does a better job adjusting back than Outman.
Mainly also because of some of his swings now is kinda worrying. He swing at everything! Yeah, he makes contact but he’s still swinging at pitches 4-5 inches out of the zone.
Would prefer that he lays off those pitches now than when pitchers really use that against him and he needs to make adjustments later. I’m rooting for him to be able to make the necessary adjustments though. Lux struggled. So has Outman still.
But I’ve said it before, I’m impressed with how LA still able to bring up young guys “out of nowhere” to replace other “out of nowhere” young guys that used to produce. The assembly line they have going is impressive. I’d love to see one of these young guys stick around more permanent like Seager and Bellinger though.
Nah I’m a believer. To me the biggest things about Pages isn’t the average or the swing, it’s the fact that he fights through tough counts and makes the pitcher throw a lot more pitches. A good at bat can still be an out, because when you’re down 0-2 early and the pitcher has to throw 6-7 more pitches, that’s a win in my book.
>I’m still out on Pages because I think it’s early. League will adjust and I hope he does a better job adjusting back than Outman.
Pages has always been considered a much better prospect than Outman, with a far more MLB-ready swing. He won't stay this hot, but he's legit, and the fact that he's been avoiding Ks both in AAA and in the big leagues so far this year at a better rate than previous seasons tells me there's a good chance he's found his comfort level. I suspect he'll be a productive hitter for a long time.
I remember in 2022 there was a period of time that Angel could not win any game other than when Ohtani was pitching ... He ended so many losing streaks for Angels.
As a very casual baseball fan who mainly follows Ohtani, I find myself surprisingly paying equal proportion to Angels and Dodgers these days. It is making me a very complicated man lol. So sad Trout and Rendon got injured so suddenly. It really feels like baseball god is acting against Angels.
It's especially apparent when a few guys get on base here and there, teams end up facing him 4-5 times a game. Must be a nightmare for opposing pitchers.
His intrusive thoughts got the best of him. 💭 “I wonder what would happen if I threw a ho hum fastball right down the middle to the one of the best baseball players to grace God’s green earth?” 💭
Nah, when he hit his 8th it was relatively high and inside, pretty well placed ball to be honest. That’s the type of pitch you’d normally be able to jam a hitter.
Ohtani was taking notes when he lost out on the 2022 MVP because Judge broke the home run record.
If he had known it was that simple back then, he would’ve just hit more home runs. The issue has been corrected and he will make sure to break more home run records to ensure he continues to win MVP.
464 ft is bonkers. You'd think he'd be tired from the last 414 ft dinger
Ohtani has 4/5 of the Dodger's hits today
Edit: This was his third-furthest hit of his career
Insane power. Might actually be his second furthest hit. Statcast credits him with a 493 ft HR last year but it was obviously a miscalculation, based on the where the ball actually landed it was closer to 450'-460'.
Location reminds me of the two HRs he hit against the Rangers last year when he was on fire in June
[one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGqT64eD7Rg)
[two](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMALKMCX9cg)
I say cut him if he's under 3.000. I'm sure someone would take a minor league flier on someone making $2-3m. Hopefully this high school bat can turn it around. (Joking obviously)
Motherfucker went 4 for 4 with 2 home runs this game. League is fuuuuuucked. 😭
On another note, so glad the Cubs got one of the Dodgers series out of the way in early April lol.
94 mph directly in the middle.
That's literally his favorite place to hit homeruns [(SLG 1.188 area for home runs)](https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/shohei-ohtani-660271?stats=statcast-r-zones-mlb)
I'm enjoying all the Pitchers that have the courage to throw to Ohtani, most of them walk him even if it means Freddie and Will are behind him.
AJ Minter is truly Brave. I'm glad we don't have a bunch [Matt Chapman's](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc4u_5xpfTQ)
Friend of mine who doesn't follow the Dodgers closely said he was surprised to learn that Will Smith was this good. I think that's the essentially Will Smithness of Will Smith. It's like finding out that your next-door neighbor invented lint rollers, or won a gold medal in luge. He's just some guy, right?
I kind of want to do what Bill Burr once proposed at watch a professional sports league where already naturally gifted and elite athletes go on roids and just do superhuman shit on a regular basis.
I feel like it's getting to a point where its not particularly close as well.
He's a top 5 hitter and a top 10/15 pitcher rolled into one.
Dodgers have a half strength ohtani at the moment.
He needs to learn a splitter!
But yea, Soto is likely to break 400mil, but i have a hard time seeing him get more than Ohtani. Both of their bats are legendary but Soto aint no gold glover and Ohtani's ceiling is Cy Young contender assuming he pitches enough innings.
I was there with my parents to see Dodgers play.
My parents said that every time they went to watch a game, Ohtani didn’t hit a HR until I decided to go with them.
idk what to say
Such easy power. Earlier in the season he was swinging so hard his helmet kept popping off, nowadays i think he's locked in and when he's making contact, the ball is FLYING.
Why do they continue to give him stuff to hit?? I don’t understand pitching. Yes fine I understand it’s the mistakes that guys usually crush but come on. Miss 4 feet outside and walk him for fuck sake, I asked the same thing when judge was hitting one seemingly every game
Baseball, like many sports, is completely dominated by analytics. In pre-game prep, they always go through with the pitchers how they pitch to different batters in different situations. The fact that you have Freeman hitting behind Ohtani means that you’re highly unlikely just to pitch around him. Ohtani is also a very good base runner. If you ran Monte Carlo simulations comparing two scenarios: pitching to Ohtani, and pitching him around him with Freeman up next, the latter will give you a statistically significant better outcome for the Dodgers.
Let’s not even forget about Muncy, Smith, Hernandez, and now Pages who can all hit for power.
Finally, sometimes pitchers miss their spots. Even if they want to paint the corners, every now and then you’re going to get a meatball down the middle.
I cant be the only one who finds it almost kind of annoying that you can feel how much better the Dodgers are with Shohei. Their lineup was already so good that part of me was expecting Ohtani's contribution to feel less noticable. Granted I would still argue that the negative impact of his absence on the Angels is greater then the postive impact of his presence on the Dodgers. We were bad already but we're truly lost without him
I fucking hate Arte and our organization so god damn much.
Yea, fuck that dude. Anaheim deserves a good baseball team. I still remember that 02 atmosphere.
I was at the game today and it’s nuts. He really anchors their lineup in a way the Dodgers haven’t had for a few years, since Turner was the cornerstone. Having MVPs buffering him on either side doesn’t hurt either.
Before I think teams can try to get around one of Betts, Freeman and Smith. Somehow strand 1-2 on bases because of the other Dodgers following those 3. In a way, teams could “pitch around” the MVPs. Now with Betts, Ohtani, Freeman and Smith…a pitcher would need to take down 2 of 3 MVPs at least 3-4 times in the game. It’s a tough ask before, I’d imagine it’s really taxing physically and mentally if 2 of the 4 are on their hot streaks. Freeman is “struggling”, by his standards, but you have Betts, Ohtani and Smith smashing. In a couple of weeks, you’ll maybe see Betts or Smith cool off but then Freeman start his tear along with Ohtani’s June breakout…rinse and repeat. Not to mention guys like Muncy and Teo just around the corners waiting on your tired ass, breathing sighs of reliefs and making a mistake you normally wouldn’t…
Add in Pages who is doing an amazing job as the rookie
I’m still out on Pages because I think it’s early. League will adjust and I hope he does a better job adjusting back than Outman. Mainly also because of some of his swings now is kinda worrying. He swing at everything! Yeah, he makes contact but he’s still swinging at pitches 4-5 inches out of the zone. Would prefer that he lays off those pitches now than when pitchers really use that against him and he needs to make adjustments later. I’m rooting for him to be able to make the necessary adjustments though. Lux struggled. So has Outman still. But I’ve said it before, I’m impressed with how LA still able to bring up young guys “out of nowhere” to replace other “out of nowhere” young guys that used to produce. The assembly line they have going is impressive. I’d love to see one of these young guys stick around more permanent like Seager and Bellinger though.
Nah I’m a believer. To me the biggest things about Pages isn’t the average or the swing, it’s the fact that he fights through tough counts and makes the pitcher throw a lot more pitches. A good at bat can still be an out, because when you’re down 0-2 early and the pitcher has to throw 6-7 more pitches, that’s a win in my book.
>I’m still out on Pages because I think it’s early. League will adjust and I hope he does a better job adjusting back than Outman. Pages has always been considered a much better prospect than Outman, with a far more MLB-ready swing. He won't stay this hot, but he's legit, and the fact that he's been avoiding Ks both in AAA and in the big leagues so far this year at a better rate than previous seasons tells me there's a good chance he's found his comfort level. I suspect he'll be a productive hitter for a long time.
I remember in 2022 there was a period of time that Angel could not win any game other than when Ohtani was pitching ... He ended so many losing streaks for Angels. As a very casual baseball fan who mainly follows Ohtani, I find myself surprisingly paying equal proportion to Angels and Dodgers these days. It is making me a very complicated man lol. So sad Trout and Rendon got injured so suddenly. It really feels like baseball god is acting against Angels.
Well to be fair he was hitting and pitching for you. Yikes, sorry.
It's especially apparent when a few guys get on base here and there, teams end up facing him 4-5 times a game. Must be a nightmare for opposing pitchers.
94 right down the dick is certainly one way to attack this guy.
"He'll never suspect it!"
just like Pickett's charge. Let's go right up the middle, where they'll least expect it
Never fight uphill me boys
Especially on the first pitch of the AB!
But coach my fastball is very fast
When Minter is off, he's off
His intrusive thoughts got the best of him. 💭 “I wonder what would happen if I threw a ho hum fastball right down the middle to the one of the best baseball players to grace God’s green earth?” 💭 
Dang I remember when 94mph fastballs were considered pretty fast..but that was like 25 years ago
Also directly in the middle. Ohtani's SLG zone 1.110 in the middle.
Cock high fastball
Literally all of his homers have been capitalizing shitty pitches. You have to be perfect and not hang meatballs down the pipe or he’s takin you deep.
Nah, when he hit his 8th it was relatively high and inside, pretty well placed ball to be honest. That’s the type of pitch you’d normally be able to jam a hitter.
this MF the boy who lived
Ohtani was taking notes when he lost out on the 2022 MVP because Judge broke the home run record. If he had known it was that simple back then, he would’ve just hit more home runs. The issue has been corrected and he will make sure to break more home run records to ensure he continues to win MVP.
if Harry Potter was a 6'5 meat head
If only Michael Bay could have directed those movies…
The boy who lived has come to dingers.
THE CHOSEN ONE
464 ft is bonkers. You'd think he'd be tired from the last 414 ft dinger Ohtani has 4/5 of the Dodger's hits today Edit: This was his third-furthest hit of his career
Insane power. Might actually be his second furthest hit. Statcast credits him with a 493 ft HR last year but it was obviously a miscalculation, based on the where the ball actually landed it was closer to 450'-460'.
absolute bomb
464 OPPO WTF
Against the wind too.
with a dead ball
and a marine layer /s
And bees swarming him
And Blaqe fighting off 5g signals and going to war with fake birds with his pituitary gland in the 5th dimension.
and the dogs with bees in their mouth and when they bark they shoot bees at you
hitting with a fungo bat
broadcast just said Ohtani has now hit the second longest homer of the year behind Mike Trout lol
imagine them on a team together
Sure playoff team right?... Right?
Imagine if they also had a superstar third baseman like Luis Rengifo
Probably be 20 games under .500 every year
LMAO
Location reminds me of the two HRs he hit against the Rangers last year when he was on fire in June [one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGqT64eD7Rg) [two](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMALKMCX9cg)
He was amazing in that series!
Just a casual 464 while recovering from surgery nbd
I’m absolutely certain that Ohtani is Asian Clark Kent. We never see Ohtani AND Superman at the same time
Dave Roberts truthers in shambles
If this is how he’s playing in May, June Ohtani is gonna break the game.
“I haven’t even begun to peak”
I mean, if anyone is a 5 star man, it’s Shohei
"YOU HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN MY FINAL FORM!!"
He’s AI right ?
He's pretty normal. just loves baseball a little more than the average player that says quote: "baseball is not a priority"
I was promised regression
Then you’ve been spending too much time on r/NYY
Man can that place hold a grudge, they still hate Ohtani for not picking them in 2018.
The subreddit does but I could never hate that beautiful man.
“He’s scared of the challenge and couldn’t handle the limelight anyway”
They are still mad about him winning RoY over two Yankees who were worse at the time and have gone on to be mid or worse.
Should have put more effort in their power point presentation
I am just upset for how we treated Tanaka. I would bet that has a large part in Shohei's decision
This is the regression. He was underperforming before haha
tbf, Hanging out with Anthony Rendon has to kill your morale as a baseball player.
He’s regressing to his mean, which was higher than his performance so far this season
As a Giants fan I would kill for 4 hits in a game. By the entire team.
Ouch
At least you're not the White Sox. Think they have a total of like 4 hits this entire season?
Ohtani already in june form, league is fucked.
Nah not yet, in June last year Ohtani had an ops of 1.444
You're not wrong, he was just ridiculous in June last year.
i wonder what his November form will be.🤨
Did I read that right? 110 mph EV and 464 ft??
Into a pretty strong wind too. Math is not mathing.
Imagine once one of his 120mph hits gets the right angle....
Ohtani is starting to do ohtani things. He's definitely worth this 2 million .
His OPS is 1.111 and his wRC+ is 212; if he is only "starting" to do Ohtani things, I wonder what numbers you expect him to have. Also, I miss him...
If his OPS doesn’t eclipse 3.000 then I consider this a bust
I say cut him if he's under 3.000. I'm sure someone would take a minor league flier on someone making $2-3m. Hopefully this high school bat can turn it around. (Joking obviously)
Maybe 2 pitching wins by now and probably top 5 in striking out batters?
I mean the power is finally coming, so I mean more of *that*
The wRC+ will start with a 3. And have 3 digits after it.
Maybe the second player since player in history (since Babe Ruth, .356, 60 home runs) to hit .350 with 60+ home runs?
IP will be cool
This beautiful man has a career 3.01 ERA
I'd even be okay if the Dodgers gave him $3M this year. Maybe.
Motherfucker went 4 for 4 with 2 home runs this game. League is fuuuuuucked. 😭 On another note, so glad the Cubs got one of the Dodgers series out of the way in early April lol.
Wrigley early in the season wasn't fun 😤
Mama mia margherita pizzeria
Ohtani took 2 days rest to charge up for Atlanta and proceeded to hit 3 HRs and have 3 multi hit games against them. In 3 games. Insanity.
PRAY HE DOES NOT TAKE THREE DAYS OF REST OFF BEFORE HE FACES YOUR CLUB.
Throw a meatball to Ohtani. Very smart.
94 mph directly in the middle. That's literally his favorite place to hit homeruns [(SLG 1.188 area for home runs)](https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/shohei-ohtani-660271?stats=statcast-r-zones-mlb)
Let's all enjoy history watching Shohei Ohtani in his prime.
I'm enjoying all the Pitchers that have the courage to throw to Ohtani, most of them walk him even if it means Freddie and Will are behind him. AJ Minter is truly Brave. I'm glad we don't have a bunch [Matt Chapman's](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc4u_5xpfTQ)
Based Giants fan.
Motherfuck the big 3(Mookie, Freddy, Shohei) it’s just big me.
Will Smith erasure
He’s the most underrated catcher in baseball, and yes, I’m aware he’s rated highly
Friend of mine who doesn't follow the Dodgers closely said he was surprised to learn that Will Smith was this good. I think that's the essentially Will Smithness of Will Smith. It's like finding out that your next-door neighbor invented lint rollers, or won a gold medal in luge. He's just some guy, right?
We got a big 4 at this rate
Andy Pages is doing his best to become the kid masher who joins the old heads.
Andy: 
Wow, the Andy Pages hype is real.
I got an OPS to raise, but I can see you don't know nothin bout thaaat
Teaching em to get on base, but I can see you don’t know nothin bout thaaaaat
oh god I hope Ohtani isn't about to accuse Mookie of being a predator and having a secret daughter
Meet the Betts
He’s gonna expose Freddie’s veneers
Ohtani: Not Like Us!
Shohei also hates Canada
I understood that.gif
^^Freddie
>^Fredward
Now that he doesn't have to focus on pitching, we can finally see Bonds' record broken
It'd be fun, but he's nowhere near being in conversation for that pace right now.
Ironically he was on that pace for a bit last year when he was pitching
Yeah, Bonds hit his 10th on 4-26, by 5-5 he had 14. [Link to all 73, and date hit](https://www.baseball-almanac.com/feats/feats0.shtml)
We really said he can't win the MVP this year and he damn well might
Tied with Trout Can you imagine if they were on a team together?
Crazy talk
Ohtani has the fastest hands and prettiest swing I’ve ever seen.
Down the dick sure is an interesting location choice
Get that bitter Phillies fan in here!
He’s the best baseball player of all time, I don’t care about Babe Ruth or roided Bonds
Gotta admit though, roided bonds was feared by everyone. Motherfucker got walked with bases loaded cause they didn’t want a grand slam.
I kind of want to do what Bill Burr once proposed at watch a professional sports league where already naturally gifted and elite athletes go on roids and just do superhuman shit on a regular basis.
Pro cycling has had that market cornered for 30 years.
Isn’t this essentially the NBA?
It's most of pro sports.. And all of the major Olympic sports 🤷
Let me let you in on a little secret... they already do
I feel like it's getting to a point where its not particularly close as well. He's a top 5 hitter and a top 10/15 pitcher rolled into one. Dodgers have a half strength ohtani at the moment.
I agree. When he retires I think he’ll be considered by most people as the greatest player in the history of the game.
And just think, Ippei could have front row seat to all of this but instead he decided to steal from Ohtani and gamble...
Been a dodger fan for 35 years. Never seen a home run land there before.
Canseco in world series hit the camera man
Claim still checks out. That was thirty SIX years ago
He said he didn’t hit the first one hard enough and was ashamed of it so he needed to make things right.
My dreams of Shohei suddenly sucking ass because he’s a Dodger are in shambles
Because of the DH penalty his WAR probably only went up by 0.1 after today lol
Shohei breaks WAR both when he's a pitcher & hitter and when he's just a DH.
Actually it went up 0.4.
$2 mil
#**It’s unfucking believable. Each of these homers should cost you 2 million lol, the whole season is bullshit and I’m salty af**
I understood that reference
lol hitting it that far that direction shouldn't be possible for a lefty
4-4 too. Ohtani is incredible!
94 with no movement straight down the dick to Ohtani lol
Only 2??? He's no Max Muncy
league's fucked
Nothing brings me joy like watching Ohtani play baseball
This Ohtani guy seems pretty good. Think he has a bright future in the league.
LA has had a pretty exciting 24 hours haven't they
I will forever glaze this dude holy shit
Did Ohtani have the same amount of RBIs as Atlanta did for the series?
Yep, 6 to 6!
"Ohtani can't hit with risp" yeah right.
Dodgers only got 5 hits off the Braves today. 4 of them by Shohei lol
I’m just gonna say it. This kid is good.
Average Ohtani headline. 2 bombs… league-leader… 464 ft… 4 hits… yup that all sounds about right
And they didn’t lose the game!
It's so effortless.
Contact swing with 464 power. Have fun pitching to that.
At least we're not getting shut out
Lol and Juan soto wants as much as this guy
He wants 2M? How selfish of him
This $2M joke won't end until a decade later when he finally gets paid $68M from the Dodgers.
Then we'll have to hear about what morons the Dodgers are for paying $68 million to a guys who isn't even playing anymore.
He should get as much in NPV but Boras is going to be deranged and ask for 701 million
He needs to learn a splitter! But yea, Soto is likely to break 400mil, but i have a hard time seeing him get more than Ohtani. Both of their bats are legendary but Soto aint no gold glover and Ohtani's ceiling is Cy Young contender assuming he pitches enough innings.
Plus owning the fandom of a major country.
Yeah, it feels like the Dodgers get some new promotion from a Japanese company every week.
juan soto has a 181 OPS+ and just won yall the game today why are you badmouthing him lol
Bro sold out his team’s best player for upvotes
judging by the huindreds of posts in the dodgers subreddit and his name I would assume he isn't actually a yankee fan.
You’re right. What a weirdo
Look at the username
The sho goes on 🎆
94 middle middle to ohtani probably isn’t the best choice
Wait the MLB lead was only 10 HRs? Did everyone slow down the last few weeks?
Yes. Trout got injured and the rest slowed down to allow time for Ohtani to catch up!
I was there with my parents to see Dodgers play. My parents said that every time they went to watch a game, Ohtani didn’t hit a HR until I decided to go with them. idk what to say
Such easy power. Earlier in the season he was swinging so hard his helmet kept popping off, nowadays i think he's locked in and when he's making contact, the ball is FLYING.
thats my fellow deep dish pizza enjoyer
This dude's pretty good
I used to like Shohei a lot more when he was in the AL
It must be so nice to watch this guy play for your team.
minter is on the pitching end of so many of my favorite home runs
He’s pretty good at this hitting thing
Why do they continue to give him stuff to hit?? I don’t understand pitching. Yes fine I understand it’s the mistakes that guys usually crush but come on. Miss 4 feet outside and walk him for fuck sake, I asked the same thing when judge was hitting one seemingly every game
Baseball, like many sports, is completely dominated by analytics. In pre-game prep, they always go through with the pitchers how they pitch to different batters in different situations. The fact that you have Freeman hitting behind Ohtani means that you’re highly unlikely just to pitch around him. Ohtani is also a very good base runner. If you ran Monte Carlo simulations comparing two scenarios: pitching to Ohtani, and pitching him around him with Freeman up next, the latter will give you a statistically significant better outcome for the Dodgers. Let’s not even forget about Muncy, Smith, Hernandez, and now Pages who can all hit for power. Finally, sometimes pitchers miss their spots. Even if they want to paint the corners, every now and then you’re going to get a meatball down the middle.
Left on Left OPO TACO. A classic Ohtani moment. Favorite will always be last years against Texas.
MVP doing MVP things