Pirates stun Ohtani, Dodgers with 9-8 comeback win
AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Tyler Callihan hit the first two home runs of his career, a solo shot off Shohei Ohtani in the fourth inning and a go-ahead, three-run blast off reliever Kyle Hurt in the eighth as the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied past the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-8 on Wednesday night.
Ohtani gave up season highs in runs (four), earned runs (three), and hits (six) in 6 2/3 innings as his ERA ticked up to 1.06. The four-time MVP struck out six and walked three before being removed following Brandon Lowe’s two-out, two-run double in the seventh.
Ohtani hit a two-run homer off Gregory Soto in the ninth, his 12th of the season, to draw the Dodgers within one. Soto retired the next two batters for his ninth save.
A Los Angeles comeback hardly seemed necessary when Ohtani exited with a 6-3 lead, seemingly in position to win his fifth straight start.
Callihan, a utility player, sent a fastball from Ohtani 427 feet over the right-field stands at PNC Park. With two on and nobody out in the eighth, Callihan pounced on a changeup from Hurt (1-1) to give the Pirates their first lead at 7-6. Spencer Horwitz added a two-run shot later in the inning off Jack Dreyer as Pittsburgh ended a four-game skid.
Los Angeles was cruising when Ohtani went out for the seventh inning for just the third time this season. The Dodgers led 6-1 thanks to Ryan Ward’s first career grand slam, and Ohtani seemed poised to win his fifth straight start.
Then things unraveled, a rarity for the two-time defending world champions and the greatest player in the game.
Callihan singled and Jake Mangum reached on a swinging bunt. Ohtani quickly fell behind 3-0 to Lowe, who got the green light to swing and turned on a fastball down the middle for the two-run double that ended Ohtani’s night (on the mound anyway) and set the stage for a five-run rally against the Dodger bullpen in the eighth that gave the Pirates perhaps their most unlikely win of the season.
Evan Sisk (1-0) got the final out of the eighth to earn the win. The Pirates, who gave up 10 runs in the seventh inning of a blowout loss on Tuesday, responded in the bottom of the eighth to win for just the third time this season when trailing after seven innings.
Los Angeles entered the night a tidy 36-3 when leading after seven.
“You’re not going to face too many guys like that,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “There’s one. It’s ridiculous what he’s able to do.”
Even if Ohtani showed small glimpses of vulnerability during his first-ever start at PNC Park. Ohtani acknowledged shaking off catcher Dalton Rushing a few times, something he attributed to not working with the Los Angeles reserve catcher that often.
“It’s something you just have to have a conversation here and there and be on the same page,” Ohtani said.
The two could be working together more often in the near future after Roberts announced postgame that starter Will Smith is heading to the 10-day injured list with a neck injury.
Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones, making just his third start of the season, allowed two runs on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts in four innings.
Carmen Mlodzinski gave up four runs — all on Ward’s grand slam — on three hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 3 2/3 inning in relief of Jones.