Jack Flaherty struck out 10 batters in his Dodger Stadium debut, and Shohei Ohtani hit a two-run homer during a five-run third inning to help the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-5 on Friday night.
The win was important for the Dodgers, who lead the NL West, especially since both San Diego and Arizona also won. The Dodgers’ lead over the Padres is now 2 1/2 games, their smallest margin in months.
“We’re very aware of it,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “That just puts the onus on us to play good baseball.”
Flaherty (9-5) got the win in his first home start since joining the Dodgers from Detroit before last month’s trade deadline. He had first visited the stadium as a 6-month-old when his mother brought him to a game.
“It was a lot of fun,” Flaherty said. “It’s a special thing. Just enjoying every second of it.”
Flaherty was applauded when he left the game with two outs in the sixth inning and the Dodgers ahead 9-4. He allowed four runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings, throwing a season and team-high 110 pitches.
“Jack was good, just a solid performance,” Roberts said. “One thing I have learned so far about Jack is a situation, a moment isn’t going to be too big for him. He has the ability to make pitches when he needs to and that’s huge.”
Ohtani’s 448-foot home run to center field brought in Andy Pages, who had walked against Mitch Keller (10-6). Will Smith contributed with a two-run single, and Miguel Rojas had a two-out RBI single that extended the Dodgers’ lead to 6-0.
Ohtani’s 11 homers of 440 feet or more this season are the most by a Dodgers player since Statcast began tracking in 2015. Ohtani leads the NL with 35 homers, only behind Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees (41) in the entire league.
“When it’s in that hitting zone, he does things with the baseball that no one else can do. He just continues to amaze,” Roberts said about Ohtani. “I played with Barry Bonds, and the ball just doesn’t come off like it does from Shohei’s bat.”
Teoscar Hernández hit a two-out RBI single in the fourth inning, making the score 7-1. Kiké Hernández followed with a two-run homer on the 11th pitch from Keller with two outs in the fifth inning. The line drive went off the glove of left fielder Bryan Reynolds.
“Jack’s first time at home you just want to give him as many runs as possible,” said Freddie Freeman.
Freeman hit a homer with two outs in the first inning for the Dodgers. He returned to the team on Monday after missing eight games to be with his sick 3-year-old son. Freeman also doubled, walked, and stole a base.
“I didn’t know how I was going to do after not seeing live pitching,” Freeman said. “I’ve actually been seeing the ball OK.”
Oneil Cruz from Pittsburgh hit a solo homer to start the fourth inning. Joey Bart added a three-run homer with two outs in the fifth inning, which narrowed the Pirates’ deficit to 7-4.
Domingo Germán made his return to the major leagues a year after his time with the New York Yankees ended due to behavioral issues. The Pirates picked up his contract from Triple-A Indianapolis.
Germán came in to relieve starter Mitch Keller in the fifth inning against the Dodgers. He allowed two runs and one hit in four innings while striking out three batters and walking two.
