Baseball

Shohei Ohtani Hits 53rd Homer to Tie for NL Lead as Dodgers Top Giants 7-5

AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, second from left, heads hits a solo home run as San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Joel Peguero, left, and catcher Patrick Bailey watch during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Sept. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles.

The Associated Press

13:47 JST, September 21, 2025

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani launched his 53rd home run to tie for the National League lead, and the Los Angeles Dodgers erased an early four-run deficit Saturday night in a 7-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants.

Max Muncy’s two-run homer in the first inning pulled Los Angeles to 4-2. Michael Conforto also went deep and Tommy Edman hit a tiebreaking shot for the playoff-bound Dodgers, who their fourth straight and lead the NL West by four games over San Diego with seven to play.

AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani heads to first for a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants, Sept. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles.

Ohtani pulled even with Philadelphia slugger Kyle Schwarber when he connected for his 53rd home run, a 403-foot shot to left field in the sixth.

It was Ohtani’s 29th homer at Dodger Stadium this season, a franchise record. He topped his own mark of 28 last year, when he finished with a career-high 54 on the way to winning his third MVP award and first in the National League.

San Francisco stayed four games behind the New York Mets for the last NL wild card, with Arizona and Cincinnati also ahead of the Giants.