LOS ANGELES – On a mild, 76-degree Friday evening, the crowd featured the signature sea of white and blue attire at Dodgers Stadium. And as expected for the annual Freeway Series against the Los Angeles Angels, red spots were also visible around the stadium.
However, this matchup is substantially different than in recent years. Shohei Ohtani, who played the first six seasons of his MLB career with the Angels, is now a Los Angeles Dodger. He faces his old team for the first time since signing a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million free agency deal with the Dodgers.
And for Dodgers and Angels fans alike, his performance in the Angels’ 3-2 victory over the Dodgers in 10 innings should come as no surprise.
Ohtani hit a 455-foot, two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. The home run set Dodgers season highs in both scoring a run and driving in a run in six consecutive games. Ohtani reached base in all four of his at bats on Friday.
Ultimately, the lead did not last and Taylor Ward’s RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning made the difference.
But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts doesn’t believe this reunion between Ohtani and the Angels will change anything for the two-time AL MVP.
“This certainly doesn’t warrant any other conversation,” Roberts said before Friday’s series opener. “I think he’s very grateful for his time in Anaheim, and I think he’s certainly happy here. I think it’s one of those things where he gets excited to come here, this day to come here to get it over with, because I think he just wants to play baseball.
“For Shohei Ohtani, these questions certainly arise. He influenced many fans. So if he comes a little bit north, it’s a big deal. But I’m sure he just wants to play baseball.”
In the same vein, when Ohtani was asked if it was strange to play against his former team after the game, he emphasized that this was just another game.
“We played at home today, so that’s not necessary. I think it will feel a little different when we play [Angel] Stadium,” Ohtani said through an interpreter.
Outside of Ohtani, it was a quiet night offensively for the Dodgers, who managed just three hits outside of their superstar slugger. Ohtani’s two-run homer, which hit Austin Barnes, was his National League-leading 22nd of the season.
Then it wouldn’t be until the bottom of the eighth inning that the Dodgers got another single, an Ohtani single, but he was caught stealing at second to end the threat.
Between those two hits by Ohtani were errant throws by Dodgers reliever Ryan Yarbrough. In the top of the sixth inning, the left-hander hit three batters, one of which resulted in the Angels’ first run. The Angels scored again on Mickey Moniak’s sacrifice groundout, tying the score at 2-2.
Those errant throws proved crucial as both teams struggled to score in regulation. In the 10th inning, the Angels took the lead when auto runner Jo Adell scored on Ward’s single off reliever Evan Phillips.
The victory for the Angels snapped a 10-game winning streak for the Dodgers in the Freeway Series, dating back to 2021. That streak therefore came at the expense of Ohtani, who has now lost 11 games in a row in this series.
Ohtani knows a big difference between playing for the Dodgers and the Angels is that he has a chance to play well into October. He never reached the playoffs with the Angels. However, he does not want to be held back by the end goal of his daily work.
“I really feel that the organization really appreciates a long-term approach. But at the same time, even though the players understand that, we appreciate winning the game every day,” Ohtani said. “So for me the approach doesn’t really change.”
Despite that approach, Ohtani also understands that winning more every day and potentially playing for a World Series will be more fun than he’s used to.
“I’m sure this is even more true as we enter the second half of the season,” Ohtani said. “It’s something I haven’t really experienced yet, so I’m looking forward to it.”
