Ohtani’s scoreless innings on birthday

[Anchor]

Shohei Ohtani of the LA Dodgers, who has resumed his dual role as a pitcher and hitter, celebrated his 31st birthday with a stellar performance, pitching two scoreless innings.

Notably, in the second inning, he struck out three consecutive batters with swings and misses, celebrating his birthday in style.

Reporter Kim Hwa-young has the details.

[Report]

This was Ohtani's fourth game of the season as a two-way player, and coincidentally, it was also his 31st birthday.

As if to celebrate his birthday, Ohtani smoothly retired three batters in the first inning with just 10 pitches, including a double play and a groundout.

The highlight came in the second inning.

After striking out the cleanup hitter, Ohtani increased his velocity, with his 21st pitch reaching an impressive 100.9 miles per hour, or 162.4 km/h.

With a sweeping pitch that baffled the opposing batters, Ohtani recorded his first inning with three consecutive strikeouts since returning to pitching, and the organ at Dodger Stadium played a celebratory tune for his birthday.

[Dave Roberts/LA Dodgers Manager: "He's got two innings, and we feel like we could take that next step at some point soon."]

The LA Dodgers lost to Houston 6-4, but Ohtani, who added a hit in the ninth inning, had a meaningful birthday both as a hitter and a pitcher.

Kim Hye-seong came in as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning with one out and runners on first and second, but struck out.

Lee Jung-hoo of San Francisco connected with a 150 km/h fastball for a solid single.

After his batting average dropped to the .100s last month, Lee Jung-hoo has been attempting a comeback, raising his average to .290 in July.

This is KBS News, Kim Hwa-young.