CHICAGO — For about 24 hours, Dodger Stadium’s anxiety meter spiked. Shohei Ohtani, baseball’s most dynamic two-way star, was scratched from Friday’s lineup against the White Sox with what the team called knee swelling. Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged the injury could threaten Ohtani’s scheduled midweek mound start. But by Saturday afternoon on the South Side, the only thing swelling was Ohtani’s home run total.
Ohtani, batting left-handed, took the second pitch of the game from White Sox right-hander Sean Burke and launched it 409 feet over the right-center field wall at Rate Field. The leadoff homer was his 23rd career first-inning blast with the Dodgers, moving him into third place in franchise history.
The jolt set an immediate tone. Los Angeles sprinted to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, with Mookie Betts following Ohtani’s homer with an infield single, then Max Muncy crushing a 415-foot two-run shot to right-center. Kyle Tucker later drove Betts home on an RBI single in the third.
The Knee That Wasn’t a Problem
Roberts told reporters Friday that he didn’t expect the knee issue to linger. “I don’t think it’s going to affect, maybe the short term, depending on how he feels,” Roberts said. “I expect him to make his start on Wednesday, and till I hear otherwise, I expect him to be in there either tomorrow or the next day until I hear otherwise.”
The Dodgers skipper also noted that Ohtani looked “fine” from a hitting perspective. The first pitch he saw Saturday proved that assessment was accurate.
Chasing Mookie
Ohtani’s 23 career leadoff homers now trail only Betts (32) for the Dodgers’ all-time record. Given Ohtani’s current pace — and the fact that Betts hits leadoff less frequently than he once did — the two-way superstar could challenge that mark before the end of the season.
The more immediate question is whether Ohtani will take the mound Wednesday as planned. The team has not confirmed his pitching status beyond Roberts’ cautious optimism, but Saturday’s explosive swing suggested the knee is, at minimum, cooperating at the plate.
For a Dodgers team built around stars who double as history-makers, that’s more than good enough for one afternoon.
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