Baseball

Shohei Ohtani Takes a 100 Mph Fastball Beyond the Center Field Wall for His 15th Homer; Pirates Beat Dodgers 10-6

AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani returns to the dugout after hitting a two-run home run off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes during the third inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, June 5, 2024.

10:56 JST, June 6, 2024

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Paul Skenes struck out eight over five innings, Aroldis Chapman threw the fastest pitch in the majors this season and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-6 on Wednesday night.

Skenes (3-0) allowed three runs on six hits, including a two-run shot by Ohtani in the third. The 22-year-old rookie also struck out the Los Angeles superstar with a 100 mph fastball in the first inning, one of 28 pitches thrown by Skenes and Chapman that reached triple digits.

AP Photos/Gene J. Puskar
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani hits a two-run home run off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes during the third inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, June 5, 2024.

Chapman had five pitches of at least 103 mph during the seventh inning, including a 104 mph heater to Teoscar Hernandez that Hernandez managed to foul off.

Nick Gonzales tied a career high with four RBIs for the Pirates. Edward Olivares and Ke’Bryan Hayes had two hits and drove in a run for Pittsburgh, which used a big second inning against James Paxton (5-1) to take control before holding on late.

Ohtani had two hits for the Dodgers. Andy Pages hit his sixth home run of the season and Jason Heyward doubled three times, but Los Angeles lost for 10th time in its last 15 games against Pittsburgh.

Paxton failed to get out of the second inning in his shortest start of the season. The Pirates touched him for seven runs (six earned) in the frame, highlighted by two-run singles by Gonzales and Bryan Reynolds. Paxton lasted just 1 2/3 innings, while his ERA mushroomed from 3.29 to 4.19.

Skenes, a 22-year-old rookie, came out firing against the high-powered Dodgers. He struck out Mookie Betts and Ohtani to start the game, but Los Angeles eventually settled in and put steady pressure on the 6-foot-6 right-hander. Ohtani took a 100 mph fastball and sent it into the Los Angeles bullpen beyond the center field wall for his 15th homer of the year.

Skenes needed 91 pitches to navigate five innings even after being staked to the early lead. He showed a bit of growth in the fifth. Pages homered and Los Angeles then loaded the bases with two outs. Skenes stayed in and he got Hernandez to ground out to third to end the threat and escape with a 7-3 lead.

The teams traded runs in the late innings. Los Angeles’ last best shot came in the eighth when Ohtani stepped to the plate to face Colin Holderman with two on and two out. Ohtani flew out to the warning track in right to end the inning.