Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani gave his former team a few reasons to miss him.
Although the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels split their two-game series, Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani spent the games proving an old adage: success is the best revenge.
The three-time All-Star rose to prominence during his six seasons with the Angels, where he quickly developed a reputation as a generational talent. Along with earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2018, Ohtani put together two American League MVP seasons in 2021 and 2023.
But Ohtani’s individual success didn’t translate into the win column, and he decided to trade in his red Angels’ jerseys for Dodger blue. Without Ohtani, the Angels have fallen to a dismal 30-46 record, placing them last in the AL West. The Dodgers, on the other hand, hold a comfortable eight-game lead in the National League West with a 48-31 record.
The Dodgers have faced some bumps in the road this month, however. Dodgers star Mookie Betts suffered a fractured left hand and starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto suffered a rotator cuff strain. With the Dodgers’ star-studded lineup beginning to deteriorate, Ohtani stepped up to the plate and dazzled against his former team.
In seven games since last Sunday, Ohtani is batting .481 (13 for 27) with seven home runs, 12 RBIs, seven walks and only two strikeouts. The scorching hot streak has even left Dodgers manager Dave Roberts in awe.
Shohei Ohtani homers highlight the Angels’ front office mistakes
For the Angels, the two games against Ohtani and the Dodgers served as a reminder of what they let walk out of the door. Before signing a record-setting 10-year, $700 million deferred contract with the Dodgers in December, Ohtani’s camp pitched the same offer to several other clubs, including the San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, and the Angels.
The Angels were the only team to reject the offer. The puzzling decision led to Ohtani leaving the team, and it was probably for the best. Despite having the superstar tandem of Ohtani and center fielder Mike Trout, the Angels have not come close to playoff contention. Meanwhile, the Dodgers won the 2020 MLB World Series and have been perennial playoff contenders.
The Freeway Series demonstrated the chasm between the two clubs, and Ohtani left his mark with a thundering home run in each of the two contests.
In the bottom of the fifth inning on Friday, he cracked a 455-foot home run with an exit velocity of 113.1 mph. With a 1-0 lead against the Angels in the bottom of the third inning on Saturday, Ohtani rocketed a 459-foot home run with an exit velocity of 115.5 mph.
The 455-foot home run on Friday was the third-longest home run by a Dodger at Dodger Stadium in the Statcast Era. That record stood for a day, as Ohtani’s 459-foot home run on Saturday tied Alex Verdugo for the second-longest home run by a Dodger.
After surrendering to the Angels in a narrow 3-2 loss on Friday, the Dodgers bounced back on Saturday with a 7-2 win.
Ohtani’s home run on Saturday gave him an NL-leading 23 home runs on the season, including six in his last seven games. His 1.031 OPS trails only New York Yankees star Aaron Judge for the major league lead.
As Ohtani continues to compile records with the Dodgers, it’s hard to imagine the Angels front office won’t look back with regret at letting the superstar slip out of their hands.
Ohtani’s revenge only adds to this season’s long list of woes for the Angels, who have struggled without the presence of Trout. The 11-time All-Star has been injured and hasn’t made any notable progress in terms of his injury recovery.
