Facing superstar Shohei Ohtani brought out Yusei Kikuchi’s hardest throws.
Kikuchi threw the fastest pitches of his season in Ohtani’s three at-bats against him, but the Los Angeles Dodgers still beat the toronto Blue Jays 4-2 on Saturday. Kikuchi said his adrenaline was pumping when he threw at his Japanese teammate.
“I threw my best fastball there this year,” Kikuchi said, referring to a 98.2 mph four-seam fastball in the second inning that Ohtani hit for an RBI. “But I think the exit velocity of his shot was pretty good too, so he got the best of me there, but I was glad to get him out after that.”
Kikuchi struck out Ohtani, who went to the same high school as him in Japan although at different times, in the fourth. Ohtani finished the day 1 for 5, a relatively quiet day for arguably the best hitter in baseball. He has a .347 batting average with seven home runs and 18 RBIs.
In addition to Ohtani’s 98.2 mph four-seamer, Kikuchi hit 97.9 mph on the radar twice and 97.7 once, all against Ohtani. Those weren’t just the hardest throws in the game, but the hardest he’s thrown this season.
“It was difficult to face him, especially because there was a runner every time I faced him, so it made it a lot more difficult,” Kikuchi said through translator Yusuke Oshima. “He’s getting better every year, so the main focus in matchups with him was just not giving up the big hit like a home run.”
Mookie Betts went 3 for 5, including a triple and an RBI single, to lead Los Angeles (18-11) to its sixth straight victory. Chris Taylor and Ohtani each had an RBI single in the second and Canadian-American first baseman Freddie Freeman’s sacrifice fly scored Betts in the first.
Tyler Glasnow (5-1) struck out nine, allowed one run on two hits and walked three in six innings. Joe Kelly, Ryan Brasier and Evan Phillips came out of the Dodgers’ bullpen to preserve the victory.
Davis Schneider had an RBI double in the seventh and scored in the ninth. toronto (13-15) lost its fifth consecutive game. Cavan Biggio drove in Schneider with a two-out hit.
“I feel like you’re never out of it until you get 27 outs,” Schneider said. “We fell short, but we have to fight until the end.”
Kikuchi (2-2) allowed four runs on nine hits, striking out three in six innings. Blue Jays relievers Genesis Cabrera, Yimi Garcia, Jordan Romano of Markham, Ont., and Nate Pearson combined for three scoreless innings of relief.
Ohtani was loudly booed by most of the 39,405 fans in attendance each time his name was announced over the Rogers Center public address system.
The Japanese superstar earned the enmity of toronto fans after he chose the Dodgers over the Blue Jays during free agency last winter.
He signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with Los Angeles on December 11. It is the largest contract in the history of professional sports.
“Once I heard the boos, I just turned my ears off,” Glasnow said.
There was a small section of fans who cheered loudly every time Freeman, whose parents are Canadian, came to the plate. That same group also heard some “Go Dodgers” chants in their section.
Betts opened the game with a triple after toronto Center fielder Daulton Varsho fumbled the ball on a diving catch. Two batters later, Freeman hit a sacrifice fly that gave Betts plenty of time to run home and take an early Los Angeles lead.
Taylor added another run in the second with a single to left field, driving in Enrique Hernández from third. Two batters later, Ohtani singled to right to tag Andy Pages and give the Dodgers a 3-0 lead.
Betts drove in another run for the visitors in the fourth, with a single to shallow center field that scored Miguel Rojas.
toronto He finally responded in the seventh when Schneider’s double scored Danny Jansen and ended Glasnow’s outing. It was Schneider’s 11th RBI of the young season.
Biggio cut the Dodgers’ lead with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Schneider had reached base after a throwing error by Phillips took him to second, and then Biggio singled to score his teammate.
ON DECK – Kevin Gausman (0-3) takes the mound for the Blue Jays in the finale of their series against Los Angeles.
James Paxton (2-0) of Richmond, BC, will start for the Dodgers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2024.