Can Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani catch Mark McGwire after home run vs. Royals?

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani moved closer to another milestone with a home run as LA completed a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals. Ohtani hit a two-run homer in the third inning of Wednesday’s 4-2 win, turning a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead.

The blast was Ohtani’s 27th of the season, his first in a week, and the 147th home run of his Dodgers career. Through his first three seasons with Los Angeles, only three players in MLB history had more homers with a team: Babe Ruth had 149 with the New York Yankees, Alex Rodriguez had 156 with the Texas Rangers, and Mark McGwire had 159 with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Ohtani also contributed with a single, finishing 2-for-4 against Kansas City. Over his last 17 games, he has recorded eight multi-hit performances while going 23-for-68 (.338), with five home runs and 14 RBI during that stretch.

Across 115 games this season, Ohtani is batting .292 with a .393 on-base percentage, a .526 slugging percentage and a .939 OPS, along with 27 home runs, 74 RBI, 77 runs, 23 doubles, two triples and seven stolen bases.

The home run also played a major role in a much-needed Dodgers turnaround. Los Angeles entered the series having dropped eight of nine games but finished the Royals sweep with three consecutive victories. The Dodgers improved to 73-48, keeping them tied with the Atlanta Braves for the National League’s second-best record and one game behind the Milwaukee Brewers at 74-47.

The Dodgers will now face the Brewers in a four-game series at Dodger Stadium. Los Angeles won two of three meetings in Milwaukee in May and can secure the season-series advantage with at least two wins in the upcoming matchup.

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