Ohtani's 49th Homer Fuels Dodgers' Rally Over Giants in SF

SAN FRANCISCO (Day.News) — Shohei Ohtani launched his 49th home run of the season, a towering shot that electrified Dodger blue fans invading Oracle Park, propelling the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers to a 13-7 comeback victory over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday night. The Dodgers, trailing early against Giants starter Logan Webb, erupted for six runs in the fifth inning after chasing the ace right-hander. Teoscar Hernández delivered the decisive two-run double, flipping a 4-1 deficit into a lead the visitors never relinquished.

This clash in the heart of the Freeway Series — the storied NL West rivalry spanning Los Angeles and San Francisco — underscored California's deep baseball divides. Ohtani, the two-way superstar whose every swing captivates the Golden State, has now homered in back-to-back games against the Giants, including two long balls in a prior 11-5 rout at Dodger Stadium that marked his 250th career homer. Clayton Kershaw's seven scoreless innings anchored that win, reclaiming sole possession of first place for L.A. after San Francisco tied them the night before.

The Giants, leaning on unlikely heroes like catcher Patrick Bailey — whose three-run homer spoiled Ohtani's six shutout innings in a 3-0 win last Wednesday — fought valiantly but faltered. San Francisco has dropped 14 of its last 19 against the Dodgers, a trend that stings in the Bay Area. With the series split amid April's intense schedule, including Ohtani's first Dodgers homer in a 5-4 sweep-clinching win earlier, L.A. improved to 7-2 early while the Giants slipped to 2-5, heightening stakes for California's baseball faithful as summer nears.