PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – In his brief, but stellar big-league history Shohei Ohtani has done a lot of amazing things. Friday the Pirates did something to him that had never happened before, the Bucs crushed four home runs off Ohtani-first time he’s had that happen to him in his career.
Henry Davis pounded a 410-foot homer off Ohtani in the fourth inning and then in the sixth, hit an opposite field missle off the All-Star. Davis’ first home run was part of back-to-back homers off Ohtani as Ji Man Choi hit a high breaking pitch out to right to get the Pirates on the board.
After striking out twice, Jack Suwinski hit a 439-foot home run with a 109 mile-an-hour exit velocity. It was a two-run homer as Ohtani had hit Nick Gonzales previously.
Only the Pirates have ever hit four homers off Ohtani, he had given up three home runs previously to the Yankees and Orioles over his five-year career. The final pitching line for the right-hander-6.1 innings, 6 hits, 5 earned runs, a walk, hit batter and 9 strikeouts. He would get the win, an 8-5 decision as at the plate Ohtani went 0-1 with three walks and two runs scored.
The homers were the third and fourth of Davis’ rookie season and his fourth multiple hit game in his last seven. It’s the third home run this month for Choi in just nine games with nine RBI. Suwinski leads the Bucs with 20 home runs. Pirates struck out 13 times for the game. Starting pitcher Johan Oviedo gave up five runs in four innings and reliever Jose Hernandez gave up the other three runs.