Shohei Ohtani took the mound on Wednesday afternoon versus the Toronto Blue Jays in a World Series rematch from last year’s epic seven-game set, but he didn’t pick up the win. The Dodgers took a 4–3 loss, and the two-way star also went hitless at the plate, going 0 for 3. However, he still made history with his work as a batter, courtesy of drawing a walk to lead off the game.
With that, Ohtani reached base safely for the 43rd straight game. He already held the longest active on-base streak in Major League Baseball, but by reaching base safely again, Ohtani tied a record by Hall of Famer, Ichiro Suzuki. Reaching base 43 games in a row is something that only Ichiro and Ohtani have done among Japanese-born players. It is also the sixth-longest on-base streak by any Dodgers player since 1900.
It’s clear that Toronto was pitching around Ohtani to start the game, as one poorly located pitch could have had the Jays in a 1–0 hole before they even came to bat. The first three pitches Ohtani saw were all outside of the strike zone. He then took a strike while looking at pitch No. 4, before the fifth pitch arrived as a ball, and Ohtani trotted to first base to tie Ichiro’s record.
The four-time MVP would later reach base safely again when he was hit by a pitch in the fifth inning. He would, however, be stranded on both occasions, failing to touch home plate. Across Ohtani’s other three plate appearances, he struck out twice and grounded out once.
The 43-game streak is more than double any other active on-base streak. Ryan O’Hearn of the Pirates saw his 19-game streak end on Wednesday, leaving the next-longest streak as that of Milwaukee’s Brice Turang. He’s reached safely in 16 straight games, which is just 37 percent of the length of Ohtani’s streak.
However, Ohtani is still 41 games short of matching MLB’s all-time on-base streak. It’s been held by Hall of Famer, Ted Williams, since 1949 when he reached base safely in 84 straight games. Williams had an on-base percentage of .518 during that streak, which enabled him to end the season leading the American League in on-base percentage (.490), as well as slugging percentage, OPS (On-base Plus Slugging), home runs, and RBI. The Splendid Splinter would go on to win the MVP award that year, just as Ohtani is the favorite to collect his fifth MVP award this season.
A big reason why Ohtani is the MVP frontrunner comes from him being a full-time pitcher again, and Wednesday was his second start of the year. While he didn’t win, it certainly wasn’t because of his work on the mound as he was sensational across six innings. Ohtani didn’t allow an earned run but did allow one unearned run, due to a passed ball by Los Angeles’ catcher contributing to a run scoring.
Ohtani struck out two batters, allowed four hits, and walked one batter, and the Dodgers actually had a 2–1 lead when he exited after six innings. However, the Dodgers bullpen then blew the save, preventing a win for Ohtani, as the Jays rallied in the later innings. After L.A. went up 3–1 in the top of the seventh, the Blue Jays scored twice in the bottom of the frame to tie it up 3–3. Then, Toronto scored on an error in the bottom of the eighth to go up 4–3, and it would win by that score.
Wednesday’s contest marked the end of a three-game series between last year’s World Series participants, with the Dodgers winning 2–1 after taking contests on Monday and Tuesday. This is the only series between the clubs in 2026, so the only time they’ll see each other again is if we get a rematch in the Fall Classic.
Through two starts this season, Ohtani has not allowed an earned run in 12 innings of work on the mound. He also has a microscopic 0.75 WHIP, has 8 strikeouts, and his record remains 1–0 after Wednesday’s team loss.
Meanwhile, at the plate, he has batting splits of .267/.407/.489 and an .896 OPS. Ohtani has slugged 3 home runs to go along with 8 RBI and 7 runs scored. Entering play on Wednesday, he ranked seventh in the National League in homers, fifth in walks, and led the Senior Circuit in times on base.
The Dodgers’ 9–3 record is the best in the National League, as they also lead the league in runs scored and run differential. The team has an off day on Thursday before beginning a three-game interleague series with the Texas Rangers on Friday. Following that is a three-game set with the New York Mets, and that’s when Ohtani will take the mound again. His next start is slated to come on Tuesday versus the Mets, and he could very well enter that contest riding a 47-game on-base streak if he stays hot at the plate.
