Shohei Ohtani’s RBI Single Off Yusei Kikuchi in the Second Comes Off His Bat at 119.2 Mph; Dodgers Beat Blue Jays 4-2
![](https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP24118710788448.jpg)
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi (16) throws during a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Toronto, Saturday, April 27, 2024.
11:08 JST, April 28, 2024
TORONTO (AP) — Tyler Glasnow pitched six solid innings for his first victory in 10 career starts against Toronto, Mookie Betts had three hits and an RBI, and the Los Angeles Dodgers extended their winning streak to a season-best six games with a 4-2 win over the Blue Jays on Saturday.
Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Chris Taylor each drove in a run as the Dodgers won their second straight series after losing their previous three.
Betts tripled and scored in the first inning, singled home a run in the fourth and singled in the ninth. He has 11 multi-hit games this season, including six three-hit games.
Glasnow (5-1) allowed one run and two hits, walked three and struck out nine.
“Everything was working tonight,” Glasnow said.
Glasnow leads the major leagues in strikeouts (53) and innings pitched (43). Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the 30-year-old right-hander was “fantastic” against the Blue Jays.
“When you acquire a guy like Tyler, you look at him as a front-end guy who can get the swing and miss, can go deep in games and win baseball games when he pitches,” Roberts said. “He’s done everything and more.”
Toronto has lost a season-high five straight.
Glasnow came in 0-4 with a 6.86 ERA in nine starts against Toronto, all with Tampa Bay. He left because of cramping in his right calf after Davis Schneider’s RBI double in the seventh inning. Joe Kelly came on and retired the next three batters.
Ryan Brasier worked the eighth and Evan Phillips pitched around Cavan Biggio’s RBI single in the ninth for his eighth save.
Ohtani’s RBI single off left-hander Yusei Kikuchi in the second came off his bat at 119.2 mph, making it the hardest-hit ball of his career and the hardest-hit ball in the major leagues this season.
“It’s incredibly amazing,” Roberts said.
![](https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP24118709462763.jpg)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani (17) hits a single during the second inning of a baseball game against the Blue Jays in Toronto, Saturday, April 27, 2024.
Kikuchi, who went to the same high school as Ohtani, said it’s a challenge pitching to the two-time unanimous MVP.
“It was tough facing him especially because there was a runner on every time,” Kikuchi said through a translator. “He’s getting better and better every year.”
![](https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP24118690923719.jpg)
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi (16) throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Toronto, Saturday, April 27, 2024.
As in Friday’s 12-2 Los Angeles win, some in the crowd of 39,405 booed when Ohtani came to bat. However, a group of fans behind first base started a ‘Let’s go, Dodgers!’ chant during Betts’ leadoff at bat in the first and resumed it multiple times during the game.
Betts said he wasn’t aware of the pro-Dodgers chants in Toronto.
“Once I heard the boos, I just kind of turned my ears off,” Betts said.
Ohtani finished 1 for 5. He lost his helmet striking out swinging at an 82 mph curveball from Kikuchi in the fourth.
Kikuchi (2-2) allowed season-highs of four runs and nine hits in five innings.
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