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Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani hot streak draws perfect Dave Roberts take

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Matt Wadleigh | Last updated 4/9/24

The Los Angeles Dodgers are on top of the National League West with a 9-4 record entering Tuesday night’s game. It shouldn’t be a surprise that they are off to a hot start after the massive offseason they had. They landed Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, and plenty of others in a historic spending spree. So, the expectations for this team are World Series or bust.

To start the season, Ohtani, the prized free-agent acquisition, is hitting .345 with three home runs and eight RBIs to begin the season. His impressive start drew a perfect take from manager Dave Roberts after LA’s win over the Minnesota Twins on Monday (h/t Patrick Donnelly of MLB.com).

“You expect the ball to come off really hot when he swings the bat and he barrels it. It’s something I have never seen. When he’s controlling the strike zone and he’s getting pitches in his nitro zone, there’s just really not a better hitter.”

Ohtani’s offensive game is something unordinary, and now Roberts and his Dodgers teammates get to witness it on an everyday basis. The slugger went 3-for-5 on Monday with a home run and a pair of doubles as LA got back in the win column following an 8-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.

Oppo-taco for Shohei Ohtani! pic.twitter.com/d83kNS9cNV

— MLB (@MLB) April 9, 2024

Dodgers teammates also impressed with Shohei Ohtani

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

It isn’t just Roberts who is impressed with Ohtani, either. Other teammates have been left in awe at the pure brilliance of the superstar both on the mound and with the bat. James Paxton, another offseason addition for the Dodgers, had great things to say about Ohtani.

“I mean, it’s pretty awesome to watch. If he puts the barrel on the ball, it’s coming off at 105-plus. It’s pretty amazing, just how hard he swings and just how hard he hits the ball. I’m glad to have him on my side.”

Paxton was the pitcher of record for the game, throwing six innings and giving up just two runs on three hits to win his second game in a Dodgers uniform. Furthermore, James Outman, who also homered against the Twins, spoke on what Ohtani brings to the table:

“He does things to the baseball that not really anyone else can do, so it’s hard to try and emulate, it’s hard to try to be like that.”

The way Shohei Ohtani is playing so far is exactly what the franchise was hoping for when they signed him to that massive $700 million deal.

The Dodgers found a way to respond after losing two of three against the Cubs in Chicago. They play two more games in Minnesota before a must-see three-game series in LA against the San Diego Padres, who themselves had a historic comeback on Monday night against the Cubs.

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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