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AP Photo Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani gestures to the bullpen as he circles the bases after hitting a three-run home run off Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Anthony Molina in the sixth inning of a game Friday in Denver.
The Associated Press
13:05 JST, September 28, 2024
DENVER (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit his 54th homer of the season, a towering three-run shot, after stealing his 57th base earlier in the game and the NL West-champion Los Angeles Dodgers powered past the Colorado Rockies 11-4 on Friday night.
The Dodgers designated hitter finished 4 of 5, which also included a pair of singles and a double, and drove in four runs. He now has 24 hits over his last 34 at-bats.
Ohtani is making a serious charge at a Triple Crown, leading the NL in homers (54) and RBIs (130). He raised his average to .309 to trail only Luis Arráez (.312 entering Friday) in the batting-title race.
With his swipe of second base in the second inning, Ohtani passed Ichiro Suzuki for the most stolen bases in a single season by a Japanese-born player. Ohtani was wearing spikes featuring a picture of his dog, Decoy.
Ohtani’s three-run blast in the sixth inning landed in the second deck at Coors Field. It was a no-doubter at the crack of the bat, with the sellout crowd instantly erupting, an early show before the fireworks display that awaited after the game.
His 408 total bases this season are second-most in franchise history. Babe Herman set the record of 416 in 1930.
Teoscar Hernández got things started for Los Angeles with a two-run homer in the first. Andy Pages also homered for the Dodgers, who arrived in town fresh off clinching their third straight division title Thursday. The Dodgers moved two games up on the Philadelphia Phillies for the top seed in the NL.
Ben Casparius (2-0) picked up the win for Los Angeles, going 4 1/3 innings, in a game where the Dodgers started reliever Ryan Brasier.
Cal Quantrill (8-11) struggled against the Dodgers’ potent lineup, allowing six runs and two homers over 3 1/3 innings.
The Rockies have now dropped 99 games this season. At 61-99, they need to win their final two games to avoid back-to-back 100-loss seasons.
It was a fortunate coincidence the second-base bag needed to be replaced as Charlie Blackmon stepped up to the plate in the first inning. The switch allowed his walk-up song “Your Love” by The Outfield to play a little bit longer. The designated hitter/outfielder known for his bushy beard announced Monday he’s retiring after 14 seasons — all with the Rockies.
The organization will honor him before Sunday’s season finale. Blackmon had a single and two walks Friday.
