The Toronto Blue Jays snapped their six-game losing streak with a 4-3 comeback victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday at Rogers Centre. Shohei Ohtani delivered six strong innings for the Dodgers, allowing one unearned run while extending his on-base streak to 43 games. Toronto's bullpen held firm after tying the game in the seventh.
Shohei Ohtani took the mound for the Dodgers on three days' rest, his second such start in his MLB career. He navigated early trouble, including the first Automated Ball-Strike challenge of the game on his initial pitch to George Springer, which was confirmed a ball 1.9 inches outside the zone. Ohtani pitched six innings, yielding four hits, one walk and two strikeouts while holding Toronto to one unearned run on an RBI double by Jesús Sánchez after a walk to Daulton Varsho and a passed ball, ending his scoreless streak at 24 2/3 innings. The Dodgers led 3-1 when he departed, marking his second straight start of at least six innings with no earned runs to open the season, the first such feat for a Dodger since Kenta Maeda in 2016. Catcher Will Smith noted Ohtani's stuff looked good despite some command issues, while manager Dave Roberts praised his length despite fatigue from the road trip. Ohtani drew a leadoff walk in the first, tying Ichiro Suzuki's mark for the longest on-base streak by a Japanese-born player at 43 games. The Dodgers, who went 5-1 on their East Coast swing, couldn't hold the lead as Toronto scored twice off Jack Dreyer in the seventh to tie it and added the winner against Ben Casparius in the eighth. Pinch-hitter Davis Schneider walked twice and scored both Blue Jays runs in the late rally, including one on Andrés Giménez's steal with a wild pitch. Blue Jays manager John Schneider emphasized the value of gritty wins after a rough start that left his team at 5-7. Davis Schneider highlighted the need for team baseball amid early offensive struggles.
