Shohei Ohtani added to his record-breaking season with four hits, including a home run, and four RBIs, and the Los Angeles Dodgers moved closer to clinching the best record in the majors with an 11-4 win over the Colorado Rockies in Denver on Friday night.
Ohtani also stole his 57th base to set a single-season record by a Japanese-born player. Ichiro Suzuki stole 56 in his rookie season with Seattle in 2001.
Ohtani singled twice, doubled and hit a three-run homer into the second deck in right field during Los Angeles’ four-run sixth inning, his 54th. He now has 408 total bases this season.
Teoscar Hernandez had three hits, including a homer, Andy Pages also went deep and Chris Taylor and Kevin Kiermaier had two hits each for the Dodgers (96-64). Los Angeles can clinch the best record in baseball with a win Saturday night.
Ben Casparius (2-0) tossed 4 1/3 innings of relief for the win. He gave up two runs (one earned) and six hits with two walks and seven strikeouts.
Ezequiel Tovar and Nolan Jones had two hits apiece for Colorado (61-99).
Hernandez gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead with a 445-foot, two-run homer to the concourse in left in the first inning. It was his 32nd of the season.
Colorado got one back in the bottom of the frame when Charlie Blackmon led off with a walk and Tovar tripled to make it 2-1.
Los Angeles tacked on three more in the second inning. Enrique Hernandez led off with a single, Pages walked, Taylor delivered an RBI single and went to third on Ohtani’s base hit.
The Dodgers executed a double steal, with Taylor coming home and Ohtani stealing second.
Pages led off the fourth with his 13th home run to push the lead to 6-1, and after Cal Quantrill walked Austin Barnes, he was done for the night. Quantrill (8-11) allowed six runs on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings. He walked two with no strikeouts.
The Rockies scored in the fifth. Jake Cave walked and Blackmon followed with a single. Tovar reached on an infield single and Tommy Edman’s errant throw allowed Cave to score from second. Colorado added another run in the sixth on an RBI single by Jones.
–Field Level Media
