Ohtani’s Historic 100th HR Overshadowed as Dodgers Fall to Pirates 9–7

AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

Shohei Ohtani reached yet another milestone Tuesday night, crushing his 100th home run in a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform. But the celebration was short-lived, as the Dodgers stumbled late and dropped a 9–7 decision to the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. In his 294th game with the team, Ohtani became the fastest player in Dodgers history to reach the century mark in home runs, surpassing Gary Sheffield’s previous record of 399 games. His solo blast in the third inning off Pirates top prospect Bubba Chandler marked his 46th home run of the season — and momentarily cut into the Pirates’ early lead. The Dodgers’ offense came alive after Ohtani's milestone moment. Teoscar Hernández followed with an RBI single, and rookie Andy Pages tied the game in the fourth with his 24th homer of the year. But Los Angeles struggled to keep the momentum, especially on the mound and in the field.

Pirates’ Youth Comes Through

Pittsburgh leaned heavily on young talent, with Chandler turning in another promising performance in relief. The 22-year-old allowed three runs across four innings and improved to 2–0 in just his third major league appearance. Jared Triolo and Tommy Pham both delivered key two-RBI performances. Triolo’s go-ahead two-run double in the sixth broke a 4–4 tie and proved pivotal. Later in the eighth, Triolo drew a walk, stole second, and scored on a bloop single by Nick Gonzales — a critical insurance run that made it 9–6 heading into the ninth. Dennis Santana weathered a final Dodgers push in the ninth, walking Miguel Rojas and surrendering Ohtani’s second double of the night before retiring the next three batters to earn his 12th save of the season.

Kershaw’s Rocky Start

Clayton Kershaw had a rough first inning, allowing four runs on four hits and two walks. The veteran left-hander settled down afterward, not giving up another hit and completing five innings, but the early deficit set a tone the Dodgers never quite shook.

Reliever Edgardo Henriquez (0–1) was tagged with the loss in his MLB debut after surrendering the go-ahead run in the sixth.

A Night of Contrasts

While the Pirates celebrated their young core stepping up, the Dodgers were left with a bitter taste after wasting a historic night from their biggest star.

Ohtani finished 3-for-5 with a homer, two doubles, and two runs scored, continuing to make his MVP case in the National League. The 30-year-old slugger had previously hit 100 homers with the Angels in 444 games — making him one of the few players in history to notch 100 home runs with two different franchises.

Despite the personal achievement, Ohtani expressed little joy after the game.

“It’s always nice to hit a milestone, but it doesn’t matter if we don’t get the win,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “We have to be better late in games.”

Up Next

The Dodgers (84–52) will look to bounce back in the second game of the three-game set Wednesday, with Bobby Miller expected to start. The Pirates (66–70) will counter with right-hander Quinn Priester.

Game Notes:

• Shohei Ohtani became the fastest to 100 home runs in Dodgers history (294 games).

• The Pirates have won five of their last seven games.

• Bubba Chandler is the first Pirates pitcher since 2010 to record two wins and a save in his first three MLB outings.