LOS ANGELES — A historic 50-50 season is coming so fast now, even the home runs are leaving the field quicker than ever.
Shohei Ohtani hit a line-drive home run to right-center field at 118 mph off the bat as the leadoff batter in the first inning. He added a stolen base in the third. And even with the Dodgers hitting four home runs in the first inning, they still had to fend off the Chicago Cubs’ late rally for a 10-8 victory.
Tommy Edman added two home runs, to give him four home runs in a mere 24 hours, as the former St. Louis Cardinals fan favorite continued to show disdain for the hated rival of his previous club.
The Dodgers are looking for somebody to take charge in the bottom of the order and Edman has raised his hand, hitting home runs from both sides of the plate Wednesday after hitting two from the right side Tuesday.
Ohtani’s home run was his career-high 47th on the season, while the stolen base was his 48th. He now has 16 regular-season games remaining to pull off his 50-50 proposition as the Dodgers (87-59) try to secure another NL West title. Their magic number to clinch the division dropped to 11 after San Diego lost in Seattle on Wednesday night. The Arizona Diamondbacks (82-64) are five games back, and the Padres (82-65) are 5½ back.
Along with Ohtani’s early blast, three first-inning home runs came in succession from Edman, Will Smith and Max Muncy (on his bobblehead night). The Cubs, who rallied for a victory with five runs in the eighth inning Tuesday, hardly were demoralized.
The Cubs’ Cody Bellinger reminded everybody that he used to be the one launching home runs into the night at the ballpark atop the hill, rallying the Cubs with a three-run home run off of Bobby Miller in the fifth inning.
Trying to make his case for a postseason roster spot, Miller gave up six runs, including his 16th homer, and five hits in 4⅓ innings. The right-hander’s ERA ballooned to 8.17. He struck out two and walked four, including three with two outs.
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Chicago tied it with a fourth run in the fifth inning, aided by another Dodgers error when Chris Taylor booted a potential double play grounder. One batter later, Pete Crow-Armstrong singled for a 7-7 tie.
The most home runs ever hit in a 40-40 season before this year was 46 by the Washington Nationals’ Alfonso Soriano in 2006. Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña is the only player to ever have more than 50 home runs in a 40-40 season when he had 73 last season to go along with 41 homers.
The victory seemed to be a formality when Ohtani hit a two-run single in the third inning for a 7-3 lead, but the Dodgers have lacked a straightforward gear of late.
Even when they took a 10-7 lead into the ninth they had to endure their own self-created drama when right-hander Michael Kopech walked the first three Cubs batters of the inning. He managed to give up just one run with a little help when Suzuki was thrown out trying to steal third base for the second out of the inning and former Dodger Michael Busch struck out swinging to end the game as Kopech eked out his 13th save (fourth with the Dodgers).
More to come on this story.
HR NO. 47
A NEW CAREER HIGH FOR SHOHEI OHTANI! pic.twitter.com/aFE1QBmca2
— MLB (@MLB) September 12, 2024
Tommy Edman gives the #Dodgers the lead! pic.twitter.com/iZkr3htd97
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) September 12, 2024
Will Smith extends the lead! pic.twitter.com/uvdRCwSVUk
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) September 12, 2024
Back-to-back-to-back home runs! Dodgers lead 5-2! pic.twitter.com/8tmLCtSztF
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) September 12, 2024
Shohei Ohtani has a HR and SB in the same game for the 12th time this season pic.twitter.com/X2CcERzURd
— MLB (@MLB) September 12, 2024