Ohtani's little league HR keys 5-RBI night vs. Angels
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- Shohei Ohtani went 2-for-4 with two walks and two runs scored, driving in a season-high five runs in the Dodgers' 15-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night in Anaheim.
- Ohtani's 'little league home run' came in the eighth when his drive into the right-field corner bounced off new protective netting along the first-base line, leaving Angels right fielder Jo Adell unable to make a play and Ohtani circling the bases on an error after what was initially a two-run triple.
- Angels manager Kurt Suzuki challenged the play, arguing a fan may have touched the ball when it caromed off the netting, but the challenge was denied and Ohtani scored.
- Ohtani capped the night with a bases-loaded double in the ninth that drew 'MVP' chants from the Dodger-heavy crowd, marking his first five-RBI game since June 22, 2025.
- The power outage had been recent and pronounced — Ohtani went 0-for-17 from April 29 to May 4 and managed just one extra-base hit in his first 12 May games before collecting three in two days against his old club.
- Dodgers manager Dave Roberts attributed the breakout to rest, saying the team was 'hoping to get a reset with a couple days off' and that 'that's what happened.'
- The netting that figured in the big play is a new addition to Angel Stadium this season — Ohtani won two AL MVP awards with the Angels from 2018 to 2023 before departing.
Why it matters: Ohtani had been mired in a 0-for-17 slump and managed only one extra-base hit in 12 May games, so a season-high five-RBI outburst against his former club — including a fluky inside-the-park-style play off the stadium's new netting — is a tangible sign the Dodgers' franchise player is reasserting his MVP-caliber form at exactly the right stretch of the schedule.
