New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers

For once, Shohei Ohtani could take his time striding off the mound after the top of the first inning. He could return to the dugout at his leisure, not having to do his usual mad dash to the on-deck circle to lead off the Dodgers' half of the frame. Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium brought an uncommon occurrence for Ohtani, marking the first time since 2021 that he pitched in a game without being in the lineup as a hitter. The Dodgers opted to keep him solely focused on his pitching as he nurses a bruised right shoulder, where he was hit by a pitch on Monday. It didn't take long for Ohtani to quell any lingering concerns about his shoulder. He struck out a season-high 10 hitters across six innings of one-run ball in an 8-2 win that sealed a three-game sweep of the Mets. Ohtani also threw a tick harder than he had all season, hitting triple digits four times. Giving his undivided attention to pitching allowed Ohtani to spend more time on game planning, but other than that, he didn't think that not hitting affected him on the mound. "In between innings felt a little longer than normal," Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. "That was really the only difference that I felt." Ohtani's streak of not allowing an earned run came to an end at 32 2/3 innings, but his MLB-best 48-game on-base streak remains intact because he did not have a plate appearance on Wednesday, so he'll look to extend that on Friday in Colorado. According to OptaSTATS, since the earned run became an official stat in 1913, Ohtani and Babe Ruth are the only Major Leaguers with a 30-game-plus on-base streak and a 30-inning-plus streak without allowing an earned run at any point in their careers. Ohtani breezed through his first four innings, only allowing one baserunner when MJ Melendez doubled with one out in the third. Ohtani’s stuff looked to drop off a tad in the fifth, when he bookended a fielder's choice with walks to put two on with one out.