Shohei Ohtani Delivers Again: Dodgers Keep Rolling with Historic 8-0 Run

LOS ANGELES — On a night built for heroes, Shohei Ohtani became one again.

It was the bottom of the ninth. The Dodgers and Braves were tied. Over 50,000 fans were on their feet, many holding Ohtani bobbleheads they’d waited hours to get their hands on. And there he was — baseball’s biggest star walking to the plate, calm, collected, and carrying the weight of the moment like it was just another Tuesday.

Most players might feel the pressure. Ohtani? He seems to invite it.

A Swing, A Blast, A Roar

Raisel Iglesias stood on the mound for the Braves, tasked with somehow getting past the most dangerous hitter in the league. He threw a first-pitch changeup on the outer half — not a bad pitch, really. But for Ohtani, it was just right.

He stayed back, put a perfect swing on it, and launched it to dead center. The ball sailed 399 feet, clearing the fence and setting off a celebration that shook Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers walked it off. The crowd exploded. And just like that, Los Angeles improved to 8-0 — the best start ever by a defending World Series champion.

We All Knew What Was Coming

Back in the dugout, Max Muncy wasn’t surprised.

“He’s going to end it right here,” Muncy recalled thinking as Ohtani approached the plate.

Pitcher Blake Snell nodded in agreement. “It’s just what he does.”

After the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said it best: “You just feel like he’s going to do something special.”

And lately, that’s exactly what Ohtani has been doing — over and over again.

Shohei’s Season So Far: Unbelievable

Ohtani’s walk-off homer marked his third of the young season. He’s hitting the ball with authority, posting a 1.126 OPS, and already looks locked in. He’s not pressing. He’s not swinging out of the zone. He’s just doing Shohei things — showing up in big moments and delivering highlights on demand.

And if the past few months are any indication, fans might want to keep their phones ready all season long.

Back in August, Ohtani hit a walk-off grand slam to join the 40/40 club. A few days later, the team handed out another bobblehead in his honor, and he responded with a leadoff homer. In mid-September, he had arguably the best game of his career — six hits, three home runs, two stolen bases, and 10 RBIs — to clinch the Dodgers’ playoff spot. Then, in his very first playoff game? Another home run.

There are superstars in this league, and then there’s Ohtani.

A Nightmare Start Turned into a Classic Comeback

What made Wednesday night’s win even more impressive was how it started.

The Dodgers were a mess early. Two throwing errors by Muncy led to five early runs for the Braves. Blake Snell, making just his second start for L.A., couldn’t catch a break and found himself down big before he could settle in.

But this Dodgers team doesn’t fold. They chip away.

Down 5-0, the lineup kept grinding out at-bats. By the eighth inning, they were only down by two and had runners on second and third with two outs. Muncy stepped in, trying to make up for his rough start to the night — and the season. He’d been hitting just .083 and had been experimenting with a new bat. But this time, he went back to his regular one.

Good call.

Muncy smoked a double into the right-center gap, tying the game and waking up the crowd just in time for Ohtani’s moment.

We’re Never Out of It

After the win, Ohtani was as humble as ever.

“I was just looking for a good pitch to hit,” he said through his interpreter. “If I didn’t get one, I was willing to take a walk.”

But he did get one. And the result? Another memory for the highlight reel.

There’s a growing sense that this Dodgers team has something special — not just talent, but attitude.

Max Muncy described it like this: “It feels like we’re carrying that same fight we had in the playoffs last year. Nobody thinks the game’s over. Everyone’s in it.”

And it shows. Already this season, the Dodgers have six comeback wins and two walk-offs. No matter what the scoreboard says, they believe they can win.

Making History in Style

With this victory, the Dodgers set a new standard. Not even legendary teams like the 1933 Yankees — with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig — started a season this well after winning it all.

The National League West is suddenly baseball’s hottest division. The Padres are 7-0. The Giants are 5-1. The D-backs are holding their own at 4-2. And while the Rockies are struggling, the division as a whole has combined for 25 wins and just 7 losses — something that’s never happened in the divisional era.

This red-hot start isn’t just about numbers. It’s about confidence.

The Dodgers already took down the Cubs in Japan to open the season — even without Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. They came home and hosted rapper Ice Cube for a World Series celebration, then swept the Tigers. Now they’ve swept the Braves, one of the NL’s best, even with Freeman sidelined by an ankle injury.

No Freeman? No problem.

Source: Shohei Ohtani’s walk-off blast pushes Dodgers to historic 8-0

This Team’s Just Fun

Teammates are soaking it all in. Outfielder Teoscar Hernández, who joined the team in the offseason, summed it up simply: “It’s Shohei. He does this. He might do something even better next time.”

Fans feel it, too. There’s a buzz around this team that even the World Series trophy couldn’t produce on its own. It’s Ohtani. It’s the energy. It’s the walk-offs. The comebacks. The chemistry.

And it’s only April.

Roberts, normally measured with his words, admitted he was “a little dumbfounded” by how this season has started.

“This group just keeps finding ways to win,” he said. “They pick each other up. There’s no panic. Just belief.”

Ohtani’s Aura Is Real

Every time Shohei comes to the plate, there’s electricity in the air. He’s got that rare quality where people stop what they’re doing just to watch. And more often than not, he gives them something to remember.

“He’s pretty good, huh?” Hernández said with a laugh.

The numbers speak for themselves. The home runs. The clutch hits. The walk-offs. But what’s just as remarkable is Ohtani’s poise. He doesn’t force anything. He stays in the moment. And when the pitch comes — boom — it’s gone.

One of One

There’s really no one else like him.

He’s a former MVP. A global icon. A player who can hit 50 homers and strike out 200 batters in the same season. He’s already broken records that no one thought could be touched.

But more than anything, Ohtani shows up when it matters most.

With every game, every swing, and every moment like this one, he’s not just adding to his legacy — he’s rewriting what’s possible.

And if the Dodgers keep playing like this? The rest of the league should be very, very nervous.

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