Opposing pitchers don't get the best of Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani too often. But Pittsburgh Pirates rookie phenom Paul Skenes did just that on three pitches Wednesday night.
Skenes didn't mess around, either. He piped three straight fastballs inside the strike zone at 101.3 mph, 100.1 mph and 100.8 mph. Ohtani swung at all three pitches, fouling off one of them, but quickly headed back into the dugout after striking out.
1,2,3. pic.twitter.com/eEiIluenCo
Ohtani got his revenge in the top of the third inning, however. On a 3–2 pitch, Ohtani smacked a 100.1-mph fastball from Skenes 415 feet into the Dodgers' bullpen in center field for a two-run homer.
The two-way superstar swung and missed at the first five Skenes fastballs he saw before launching his 15th home run of the season on the sixth.
Round two goes to Shohei Ohtani 😳 pic.twitter.com/PeNvdak1ep
Skenes is making his fifth career start Wednesday night at PNC Park. Over his first four outings, Skenes logged a 2–0 record, 2.45 ERA and 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings.
TOM DIERBERGER
Tom is a writer and editor for the Breaking & Trending News Team at Sports Illustrated. In the industry since 2016, Tom joined Sports Illustrated in 2023 after working with FOX Sports, Bally Sports, and NBC Sports. Off the clock, Tom can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.
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