Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani hits his 48th home run – “No pressure” in pursuit of 50/50

MIAMI — The Los Angeles Dodgers’ recent series against the Atlanta Braves marked the first time in more than three months that Shohei Ohtani went four straight games without a home run or stolen base, a slump he hadn’t endured since June 6-9.

Ohtani finally ended that streak on Tuesday when he hit a home run in the third inning of an 11-9 loss to the weaker Miami Marlins.

Ohtani, who has 48 home runs and 48 steals with 11 games remaining, said he is “just a little bit away” from feeling comfortable with the mechanics of his swing again. He also denied feeling pressured to become the first player in baseball history to reach the 50/50 mark before the regular season ends.

“No pressure,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “I just try to hit well regardless of the situation. That’s something I’ve tried to do all season.”

Ohtani trails only Aaron Judge (53) in home runs and only Elly De La Cruz (64) in steals in the major leagues while hitting .287/.372/.611 – numbers that seemingly put him on track to become the first full-time designated hitter to be voted MVP, especially given New York Mets star Francisco Lindor’s recent back injury. Ohtani’s power has been on display all year, but his batting average (.236) and on-base percentage (.301) have dropped since early August.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he’s noticed lately that the 50/50 milestone is “most important” to Ohtani, even if he’s not necessarily applying pressure. Roberts has observed Ohtani pulling pitches more often instead of throwing them into the gaps, which creates more predetermined swings instead of putting pitches deeper into the strike zone.

“And I think that’s kind of natural,” Roberts said. “I think he just wants to get it over with – but he’s still trying to compete and help us win baseball games.”

Roberts recently opened up the possibility of Ohtani pitching in the postseason, saying the chances are “very slim” but “not zero.”

Ohtani has been throwing bullpen sessions sporadically and could face hitters soon. He and the Dodgers’ pitching coaches have not discussed him contributing off the mound in the playoffs, a possibility that may not be until the World Series. But Ohtani said they will all meet when the team returns to LA this weekend to discuss the rest of his rehab program.

When asked if he thought he could do it physically, given the rigors of returning from major elbow surgery in a stressful environment, Ohtani smiled wryly.

“I’m not sure,” he said.