During Tuesday’s game, the score was tied 2-2 in the seventh inning. When Ohtani stepped up to hit, the crowd yelled “Shohei Su*ks” and “Overrated.” His team, the Dodgers, heard the insults and made the Pirates pay for it.

This is not the first time fans have made this mistake. During the 2025 World Series, the Blue Jays fans chanted “we don’t need him” when Shohei Ohtani came up to bat, and Chris Bassitt warned the fans “not to poke the bear.” The Blue Jays won that specific game, but Ohtani still got his revenge. He hit his first World Series home run later that night to quiet the crowd. But the Pirates fans poked the bear and got ripped to shreds.

At PNC Park, the game took a turn for the worse for the Pittsburgh Pirates when fans began chanting against Ohtani. With Ohtani at the plate, the catcher Henry Davis tried to catch Dalton Rushing stealing from second to third but missed the throw and allowed Rushing to score. This gave the Dodgers a 3-2 lead. After that, Ohtani responded with an RBI double that brought in Alex Freeland, and the Dodgers took a 4-2 lead.

Just when the Pirates thought the pain was over, Andy Pages hit a two-run homer and the Los Angeles Dodgers took a 6-2 lead. In the same inning, Freddie Freeman collected his 2,500th career hit with an RBI single. The Pirates’ bullpen completely lost control of the game in that inning, walking four batters. What’s even worse is that the inning lasted around 36 minutes with 15 batters coming to the plate and the Dodgers scoring a total of 10 runs. This turned what could have been a close game into a blowout loss for the Pirates.

After Bryan Reynolds and Ryan O’Hearn gave the Pittsburgh Pirates an early 2-0 lead with back-to-back home runs in the first inning, Paul Skenes did his job. Skenes gave away just 6 hits in 6 innings and earned only 2 runs, and both were from sac-flies. But that seventh inning changed the game. Even though Tanner Scott gave up a run in the ninth inning, the Pirates lost the game 12-3 and are now on a 4-game losing streak.

Game 1 was all about Ohtani’s hitting. Game 2 will be all about his pitching.

Shohei Ohtani’s night on the mound is going to be a great watch

Ohtani will pitch in Game 2. He is having a historic season. The Pirates want to stop losing, but Ohtani is trying to lead the Dodgers to the playoffs. He has a 6-2 record and a tiny 0.74 ERA in 10 games. This makes him a top choice for the Cy Young award, which is given to the best pitcher.

In his last game against Arizona, his control was perfect. He pitched six scoreless innings and got six strikeouts in a 7-0 win. And even with that workload on the mound, he stayed dangerous at the plate, raising his batting average to .301 with a strong stretch since mid-May.

Former Pirates broadcaster Tim Neverett, who returned to PNC Park for this Dodgers series, is in awe of Ohtani and his pitching. He spent years calling games in Pittsburgh before leaving after the 2015 season, and since then, he has worked on four World Series broadcasts, including two with the Dodgers. His voice around Ohtani has been very clear.

“He (Ohtani) has been pinpoint in terms of his fastball accuracy,” Neverett said, while pointing to the way his velocity has returned this season.

Ohtani’s only previous pitching appearance against the Pirates came back in 2023, and it was a rough night on the mound. He gave up 5 runs and 4 home runs, while striking out 9 hitters with the Angels.

That contrast is what makes this start different, with Ohtani now entering Pittsburgh in peak form rather than searching for rhythm. It also adds a quiet edge to a matchup that fans still remember from that earlier meeting.

Every game he pitches brings him closer to winning the Cy Young award. His fastball is very fast, reaching 97 to 100 miles per hour. To keep his arm strong, the Dodgers use six starting pitchers, so he gets plenty of rest each week.

Neverett summed up that approach by saying, “I think it is working for Ohtani,” while talking about the team-controlled rest patterns used in other sports. And with numbers like a 0.74 ERA, every inning in Pittsburgh becomes another step in that award chase.