Dodgers manager Dave Roberts speaks up on crucial Shohei Ohtani moment vs. Padres

The Los Angeles Dodgers leaned on another stellar two-way performance from Shohei Ohtani to clinch a 4-0 win over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night at Petco Park, with manager Dave Roberts pointing to Ohtani’s first-inning blast as a massive turning point in the game.

The 31-year-old opened the matchup by crushing the very first pitch from Randy Vasquez for a leadoff home run, immediately giving the Dodgers a 1-0 advantage in a game that decided the NL West lead heading into the weekend.

“Leading off with a homer got him in a good place mentally,” said Roberts.

"Leading off with a homer got him (Shohei) in a good place mentally."

Dave Roberts speaks with the media following the #Dodgers 4-0 win over the Padres to take the series. pic.twitter.com/UDgw5nABvU

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) May 21, 2026

The homer was Ohtani’s eighth of the season and the 27th leadoff homer of his career. It also was his 21st leadoff homer as a Dodger, tying him with Joc Pederson for the third-most in franchise history. Moreover, he became the first starting pitcher to hit a leadoff homer on the first pitch of a game in both the regular season and postseason.

After being removed from the lineup during his previous three pitching starts as part of a workload-management plan, Ohtani returned to full two-way duties and delivered in both roles. He finished 1-for-4 with a walk offensively while tossing five scoreless innings, allowing three hits, two walks and striking out four.

Although it was his shortest outing of the season and the first time he failed to complete six innings, Ohtani still lowered his ERA to 0.73 through eight starts. He has now allowed only four earned runs across 49 innings and has held opponents scoreless in five starts this season.

The defining sequence came in the fifth inning when San Diego loaded the bases with one out. Ohtani escaped the jam by inducing a first-pitch 6-4-3 double play from Fernando Tatis Jr., then roared walking off the mound after preserving the shutout.

Los Angeles added insurance through a Teoscar Hernandez sacrifice fly, a Kyle Tucker RBI single and Hernandez’s ninth-inning solo homer into the second deck.

The bullpen trio of Edgardo Henriquez, Blake Treinen, Kyle Hurt and Will Klein completed the shutout as the Dodgers improved to 31-19 and moved 1.5 games ahead of the Padres in the division standings.

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