How SF Giants snapped Shohei Ohtani’s 53-game on-base streak

SAN FRANCISCO – Nearly suffocated by the dozens of cameras and audio recorders surrounding him before the Giants’ 3-0 victory over the Dodgers at Oracle Park on Wednesday afternoon, visiting manager Dave Roberts shook his head at the idea. Having Shohei Ohtani not hit during his starts? “We haven’t had the conversation,” Roberts said. It was a logical question. In 60 at-bats during his Dodgers pitching starts, the four-time MVP Ohtani hit .217 and has slugged only two home runs, a far cry from the ,294 average and 112 home runs in his other 1,272 at-bats taken otherwise. After Ohtani went 0 of 4 with a strikeout Wednesday, perhaps it should be more of a conversation for the Dodgers, who dropped their second straight in San Francisco. Ohtani is 1 for 8 over the past two days, his one hit being an infield single. “I’m focused, as a leadoff hitter, to get on base. As long as I feel good overall, the result will follow. It hasn’t been the case (lately).” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton, later adding, “The season’s not over, and I could start another streak and that would be great.” He had moved into a tie with Shawn Green on Tuesday with a single in the seventh inning. The four-time MVP finished six games away from surpassing the great Duke Snider, who reached base safely in 58 consecutive in 1954. During Ohtani’s first at-bat, Giants starter Tyler Mahle induced a groundout on a splitter on the third pitch. His second time at the plate ended after one pitch, another splitter that also grounded out to first. “I just needed to make more pitches, and I did that tonight,” said Mahle, who improved to 1-3. “I just have to stay in my lane and keep the team in the ballgame.” Mahle struck out Ohtani looking in the fifth inning, his 94-mile-per-hour fastball hitting the inside edge of the strike zone. Reliever Caleb Kilian got Ohtani to fly out to left on another inside fastball, this time a 97 mph delivery. “Just gritty,” is how Giants manager Tony Vitello described his pitching staff’s mentality against Ohtani. With all of the commotion made about his on-base streak being snapped, his performance on the mound was almost an afterthought. Los Angeles Dodgers’s Shohei Ohtani (17) strikes out against the San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Landen Roupp (65) in the first inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) It should not have been. Ohtani entered the game 2-0 with a sparkling 0.50 ERA, utilizing a newfound love of the curveball mixed with his still devastating 97 mph fastball and gnarly splitter to give up only seven hits in 18 innings. Since returning from Tommy John surgery midway through 2025, Ohtani had made a couple of short starts against the Giants, going three innings at Oracle Park last year, and then pitching 4 1⁄3 scoreless innings during spring training. But a legitimate qualified start in the Bay Area? One would have to go all the way back to Opening Day 2023, when he struck out 10 in six innings but lost at the Coliseum to the A’s. Ohtani worked around two hits to strike out the side in the first inning, and it was smooth sailing from there. He finished the night with six scoreless innings, seven strikeouts and no walks, with five hits allowed on 91 pitches. “Tonight it looked like he was going for throats,” Vitello said. “It was pretty good stuff. At the same time ... our guys stood in well against him.” His ERA is now 0.38. It wasn’t until reliever Jack Dreyer entered and gave up a three-run home run to Patrick Bailey in the bottom of the seventh that the Giants were able to get on the board. Ohtani will try to start a new streak on Thursday in the season finale, with first pitch at 12:45 p.m. Los Angeles starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) throws against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)