Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers Make History Against Reds

"The Dodgers’ 19 pitching strikeouts tonight were their most in a nine-inning game in at least the last 125 seasons," she reported.

The game was also Ohtani's first victory of the season as a pitcher, and his first with the Dodgers. The right-hander is now 1-1 with a 4.18 ERA over 11 starts, in addition to slashing .278/.387/.608 with 45 homers and 85 RBI over 131 games at the plate.

Dodgers Could Be Unbeatable With This Blueprint

Los Angeles might not strike out 19 batters in nine innings again, but it'll be hard to beat with Ohtani and company pitching that well. If the latter player keeps having outings like Wednesday on the mound, he'll be an unparalleled weapon on an already-stacked team.

The Dodgers won the World Series last season without Ohtani pitching at all, and he's only pitched since June this year. However, they still lead the San Diego Padres by two games atop the NL West with a month left.

On top of that, Ohtani has struggled on the mound several times since returning from Tommy John rehab. The 31-year-old has a 5.71 ERA in August and hadn't completed five innings in a start before Wednesday, as Los Angeles was being careful with his arm.

However, the Cincinnati game was a step forward for Ohtani, and it's a reminder of why the Dodgers handed him a 10-year, $700 million contract in December 2023. The future Hall of Famer isn't just an elite hitter, but he's also an upper-echelon pitcher at his best. He's 39-20 with a 3.08 ERA over 97 career starts.

Up next for Los Angeles is a home series vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks before hitting the road to face the Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles.