With Shohei Ohtani not directly stepping up, the lineup fell into silence. Ohtani completed his first seven-inning pitching outing for the Los Angeles Dodgers but remained far from a win.
Ohtani started for the Dodgers against the Houston Astros in the 2026 Major League Baseball game at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas, on the 6th (KST), and left the mound after pitching seven innings, allowing four hits (two homers), issuing no walks, striking out eight and giving up two earned runs.
This season he had posted exceptional numbers: five starts, 2-1 record, 0.60 ERA (30 innings, 2 earned runs), 34 strikeouts and nine walks. He had not allowed a home run. He was also named the National League pitcher of the month for March–April. It was Ohtani's first pitcher of the month selection since his debut.
MLB.com noted that a Dodgers pitcher starting at least five games in a month and maintaining an ERA of 0.60 or lower had not occurred since Ryu Hyun-jin, who posted a 0.55 ERA in five starts in July 2019, invoking Ryu Hyun-jin's name.
Moreover, by historical standards dating to 1913 when earned runs became an official record, Ohtani was the first pitcher whose first five starts of a season each lasted at least six innings with no home runs allowed, fewer than six hits per game and one or fewer earned runs.
However, in his first start of May Ohtani for the first time allowed more than one earned run and surrendered a home run. In the first inning he showcased overwhelming fastball velocity. He struck out José Altuve looking with four four-seam fastballs. Yordan Álvarez grounded out to shortstop, and facing Isaac Paredes he threw a 99.8 mph four-seam that induced a looking strikeout to end the first inning.
But in the second inning he allowed a 97.7 mph four-seam fastball to Christian Walker to go over the left-field fence for a solo home run. He was perfectly picked off by the pitch selection. It was Ohtani's first home run of the season. However, he retired Cam Smith on a short pop to shortstop, struck out Jack Kohl with a sequence of sweeper, curve and four-seam for a three-pitch strikeout, and induced Christian Vasquez to strike out looking on a sweeper to escape the second inning.
In the third inning, leadoff hitter Nick Allen grounded out to second. But with one out and no runners, he gave up another left-field solo homer to Brendon Shoemake on a 98.7 mph four-seam. He allowed runs in back-to-back innings and recorded his first game of the season with more than one earned run. However, he finished the inning by getting José Altuve to ground out to second and Yordan Álvarez to fly out to left.
In the fourth, he got Isaac Paredes to ground out to third, and Christian Walker, who had earlier hit a home run, struck out looking on a sweeper. Cam Smith also flew out to second, producing another three-up, three-down inning.
In the fifth, he got Mac Kohl to ground out to first and Christian Vasquez to fly out to center to record two quick outs. But Nick Allen reached with an infield bloop hit in front of the center fielder, and Brendon Shoemake followed with a single to center, creating a two-out, bases-loaded threat. He then threw a 101 mph four-seam to José Altuve and added a sweeper to induce a swinging strikeout.
In the sixth, he struck out leadoff hitter Yordan Álvarez looking, and Isaac Paredes was hit by a pitch. He then induced Christian Walker to hit a line drive to center and Cam Smith to ground out to third to complete six innings.
In the seventh, he struck out Jack Kohl on three sweepers and retired Christian Vasquez on a grounder to third. After two outs, Nick Allen lined out to second to complete Ohtani's first seven-inning outing for the Dodgers.
But the offense repeatedly squandered opportunities. After a pinch-hit double by Alex Kohl to lead off the eighth, it seemed the chance would go unused, but with two outs and a runner on second Kyle Tucker drove in a run with a single to right to pull one back. Still, trailing 1-2, the team remained in danger of a loss.<
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