Shohei Ohtani stole three bases and Jack Flaherty pitched six sharp innings in his Dodgers debut as Los Angeles snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Oakland Athletics 10-0.
“Any time you can help the team win, that’s the important part of it,” Flaherty said. “I’ll take the time tonight to let it soak it all in. I’m just excited to be here and have a chance to contribute.”
While, an elbow injury has prevented Ohtani from pitching and being a two-way player in his first season with the Dodgers, his legs are making him a dual-threat offensively at an impressive pace.
Photo: Robert Edwards-USA TODAY
His three stolen bases gives him 31 on the season to go with his 33 homers. This is just the fourth time a Dodgers player reached the 30-30 club in a season and only three players in the majors have done it faster than Ohtani, who accomplished it in the 111th game of the season.
“Shohei, as far as the foot speed and offensively, he’s one of one,” manager Dave Roberts said.
This is the first time Ohtani has done it in his career with his previous high in steals coming in 2021 when he had 26 to go with 46 homers for the Angels.
Flaherty (8-5) had the biggest night in his first game since being acquired on Tuesday next week in a deadline deal from Detroit. He paid immediate dividends for a struggling Dodgers team that had lost five of six games before he took the mound in Oakland.
He allowed five hits, one walk and struck out five in an impressive performance. He ended his night by escaping a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the sixth by inducing two groundouts and a strikeout.
“I think we all were excited to see Jack take the mound and don his Dodgers uniform,” Roberts said. “He showed out really well. There was a quiet intensity to him. He was very focused, very controlled. I just loved the way he used his entire pitch mix.”
Elsewhere, the Seattle Mariners survived the Philadelphia Phillies 6-5, the New York Yankees flew past the Toronto Blue Jays 8-3, the Baltimore Orioles outplayed the Cleveland Guardians 7-4, the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Houston Astros 6-1 and the San Diego Padres pipped the Colorado Rockies 3-2.
The Minneapolis Twins defeated the Chicago White Sox 6-2, the Washington Nationals overpowered the Milwaukee Brewers 6-4, the Detroit Tigers survived the Kansas City Royals 6-5 in 11 innings and the Cincinnati Reds took the San Francisco Giants 6-4.
The St Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 5-4, the Miami Marlins overcame the Atlanta Braves 4-3, the Texas Rangers defeated the Boston Red Sox 7-4, the Pittsburgh Pirates topped the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2 and the Los Angeles Angels pipped the New York Mets 5-4.
Additional reporting by staff writer, with Reuters
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