LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani walked off the mound Wednesday night to a standing ovation, his white Dodgers jersey damp with sweat, his pitch count sitting at 99, and Dodger Stadium still buzzing over what it had just witnessed.
Again.
On a night that somehow managed to feel bigger than a normal May game against the Rockies, Ohtani delivered one of the most unique performances baseball has ever seen, six no-hit innings on the mound and a leadoff home run at the plate, powering the Dodgers to a 4-1 victory and a sweep of Colorado at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers have now won 10 of their last 12 games and stretched their NL West lead to 4 ½ games over both the Padres and Diamondbacks. But even in the middle of another dominant stretch, Wednesday served as a reminder that with Ohtani, history is rarely scheduled. It simply arrives.
SHOHEI OHTANI LEADOFF HOME RUN! pic.twitter.com/cdqK7P8bU0
— MLB (@MLB) May 28, 2026
Before many fans had settled into their seats, Ohtani opened the bottom of the first inning by launching a home run over the center-field wall against Tomoyuki Sugano in a pitching matchup heavily followed in Japan. Minutes earlier, Ohtani had already taken the mound himself and navigated a stressful 17-pitch first inning.
That sequence alone was historic.
Ohtani became the only starting pitcher in Major League Baseball history with a leadoff home run in back-to-back starts. In fact, he remains the only starting pitcher ever to hit a leadoff homer in any game.
And then he somehow topped that.
Over six no-hit innings, Ohtani struck out seven Rockies hitters while battling inconsistent command all night. He walked four batters and allowed his lone run in the fourth inning after issuing another free pass to TJ Rumfield, who later scored on a fielder’s choice.
Still, Colorado never managed a hit against him.
“I was just battling the lack of command I had throughout the night,” Ohtani said afterward. “I have to give credit to our defense, they really set the tone today.”
The frustration was visible.
Ohtani was noticeably animated throughout the outing, often reacting after missing spots and laboring through deep counts. He admitted afterward that the walks bothered him more than the no-hitter excited him.
“Just way too many walks,” Ohtani said. “Of course you want to avoid the hits, but the result of that was a lot of walks today and something that I don’t really wanna do.”
That mindset is part of what makes Ohtani so uniquely dominant. On a night most pitchers would celebrate simply surviving six scoreless innings, Ohtani focused on efficiency and missed locations.
“I think I could’ve pitched deeper into the game if I gave up hits,” he said. “I would rather take the days when I get hit a little bit but still be efficient rather than walking and not being able to pitch deeper into the game.”
Even with the elevated pitch count, Dave Roberts acknowledged the decision to remove him after six innings wasn’t easy. Ohtani had not allowed a hit, but the Dodgers also understood the bigger picture after his 99-pitch effort.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) strikes out the first batter during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium.
It marked yet another chapter in what is becoming one of the most absurd starts to a season in modern baseball history.
After nine starts, Ohtani now owns a 0.82 ERA, tied with Zack Greinke’s 2009 season for the third-best ERA through nine starts in the live-ball era. Only Jacob deGrom in 2021 and Juan Marichal in 1966 posted lower marks.
And according to MLB research, no player in the modern era had ever both hit a leadoff homer and thrown six-plus no-hit innings at any point in his career, let alone in the same game.
The last Dodgers pitcher to throw at least six no-hit innings while homering in the same game was Hall of Famer Don Drysdale in 1959.
The night belonged entirely to Ohtani, but the Dodgers also received contributions throughout the lineup.
Freddie Freeman followed Ohtani’s first-inning blast with an opposite-field homer of his own, his seventh of the season, quickly pushing the Dodgers ahead 2-0. Andy Pages added insurance later with his 13th homer and 50th RBI, continuing his breakout campaign.
Meanwhile, the bullpen completed the job after Ohtani exited.
Will Klein handled the seventh inning, Tanner Scott worked the eighth, and Kyle Hurt closed out the ninth for the first save of his major league career after the combined no-hit bid ended in the eighth inning.
“The bullpen has been consistent, done a great job all year round,” Ohtani said.
But amid the celebration, the Dodgers also absorbed another potentially significant injury blow.
Teoscar Hernández exited in the second inning after appearing to injure his left hamstring while trying to beat out a ground ball. Hernández immediately grabbed at the back of his leg and walked slowly toward the dugout before slamming his helmet in frustration.
The scene quickly shifted the mood inside the stadium.
Hernández entered the night riding a seven-game hitting streak, and his injury comes just after Kiké Hernández landed on the injured list. Hyeseong Kim replaced Teoscar in left field.
After the game, Roberts confirmed Hernández would go on the injured list.
“Don’t know how severe it is, he tested well,” Roberts said. “We’re gonna get a scan tomorrow. Obviously it’s an IL and there’s just no timeline but something like that obviously is going to be a few weeks at the minimum.”
Roberts added: “He’s been playing so well, and he’s a big part of what we’re doing, so to lose him for any length of time is not great.”
The Dodgers have not yet decided on a corresponding roster move, though Roberts mentioned Ryan Ward as a possible option given he is already on the 40-man roster.
For now, Los Angeles heads into Thursday’s off day riding momentum into a marquee weekend series against the Phillies.
And once again, they do so because Ohtani turned an ordinary regular season game into baseball theater.