Jul 12, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) stands on the mound during the second inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Giants Offense Was Shut Down in First Ever Showdown Against Dodgers Megastar

Originally posted on San Francisco Giants on SI
By Jacob Moss | Last updated Jul 13, 2025 2:30 PM ET

The chase for the National League West crown has been one of the more tightly contested divisional races so far this season, with both the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers leading the crowded field.

The two long-standing rivals met yet again on Saturday night as the second leg of their three-game weekend set, and this iteration held a bit more weight than any other in the long history the two teams share.

That's because it was the first time the Giants got to face off against Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani on the mound since he joined the team last season.

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The two-way sensation has been slowly working his way back to full strength on the bump over the past several weeks after missing all of last year while recovering from reconstructive elbow surgery.

Saturday night was the fifth ramp-up start Ohtani has made so far in 2025, and although he was limited to just three innings of work, he still looked stellar against San Francisco.

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The three-time MVP winner completely shut down the Giants' lineup, striking out four hitters while allowing zero runs.

Three of his strikeouts came in the first frame alone, as he sat down the first three San Francisco batters he faced in order.

Shohei Ohtani through five starts since returning to the mound:

9 IP, 1 ER, 10 K pic.twitter.com/3JRn7b8x5F
— MLB (@MLB) July 12, 2025

With this most recent dominant showing included, Ohtani has now clocked in nine total innings of work this season, allowing just one run and striking out 10 batters in the process.

Combined with the stellar results Ohtani has produced at the plate against the Giants since joining Los Angeles, the superstar has quickly become a thorn in the side of his new rivals.

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It was just on Friday that the Japanese sensation slugged his first homer into McCovey Cove in the series opener.

With Ohtani seemingly on the verge of becoming a full-time staple of the Dodgers' rotation, San Francisco is only going to see more of the face of the sport in the coming months and years.

For more Giants news, head over to Giants On SI.

This article first appeared on San Francisco Giants on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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