Shohei Ohtani delivered yet another historic moment in his already illustrious career, launching a towering home run that marked his 1,000th hit in Major League Baseball. He also struck out eight batters in six innings of electrifying pitching, proving once again that he remains baseball’s most unique and dominant two-way star. But despite Ohtani’s individual brilliance, the St. Louis Cardinals staged a dramatic late-game rally to stun the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3, securing their first series win against the Dodgers since 2019.
It was a game that initially felt like another chapter in the Ohtani highlight reel. The Dodgers’ phenom took the mound at Dodger Stadium with the usual electricity and buzz that follows his every appearance. His fastball hit 100 mph in the first inning, and his splitter baffled the Cardinals’ lineup all evening. But while Ohtani was dazzling early, St. Louis was patient and resilient — traits that would ultimately pay off when it mattered most.
The moment everyone had come to see came in the bottom of the third inning. With a 2-1 count and the crowd anticipating history, Ohtani turned on a hanging curveball from Miles Mikolas and sent it soaring deep into the right-center stands. The blast was vintage Ohtani — effortless power, precise timing, and a signature bat drop as he rounded the bases. It was his 28th homer of the season and his 1,000th hit in MLB, drawing a thunderous ovation from the home crowd. He tipped his helmet in acknowledgment before taking his spot in the dugout, where his teammates greeted him with hugs and back slaps. The milestone added to an already remarkable legacy for the Japanese superstar, who now owns a career stat line that defies convention.
But the Dodgers’ 3-1 lead would not last. Despite Ohtani’s dominance on the mound, his pitch count began to climb. He issued a leadoff walk in the sixth inning, and although he managed to work around trouble, the Cardinals were beginning to see him better the second and third time through the lineup. Manager Dave Roberts pulled Ohtani after six innings and 97 pitches, handing the game to the bullpen.
And that’s when everything unraveled.
The Cardinals, who had not won a series against the Dodgers in six years, sensed an opening. Nolan Arenado led off the seventh with a double off reliever Ryan Brasier. Willson Contreras followed with a walk, and Paul Goldschmidt roped a line drive into left field to load the bases with nobody out. Suddenly, the momentum had shifted entirely.
What followed was a nightmare inning for the Dodgers’ bullpen. A wild pitch brought in a run to make it 3-2. Then a weakly hit grounder to second scored the tying run, as the Dodgers were unable to turn two. With the crowd now uneasy and the game tied, St. Louis pounced again. Dylan Carlson sliced a double into the right field corner, scoring two more runs and putting the Cardinals ahead 5-3.
From there, it was a matter of execution. Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley entered in the ninth and slammed the door on any potential Dodgers comeback. He struck out Ohtani on a high fastball with two outs and a runner on first to end the game, punctuating a win that felt both monumental and symbolic for a St. Louis team trying to claw its way back into playoff contention.
For the Dodgers, the loss stung — not just because it snapped a long-standing dominance over the Cardinals, but because it wasted another superhuman effort from their biggest star. Ohtani’s outing included 14 swinging strikes and just three hits allowed. He lowered his ERA to 2.91 while raising his OPS to a league-leading 1.049. And yet, the final result was a reminder that even a player as transcendent as Ohtani can’t do it all alone.
Postgame, Ohtani was his typical reserved self, focusing more on the loss than his milestone. “I’m happy about the 1,000 hits, of course,” he said through his interpreter. “But we didn’t win today, and that’s what I care about most.”
For the Cardinals, it was a morale-boosting win that hinted at a possible turning point. Their rotation has struggled all season, their offense has been inconsistent, and their bullpen has been unreliable. But on Sunday, everything clicked when it needed to. Mikolas recovered after giving up the early homer, the bullpen held the line after the big seventh inning, and the lineup capitalized on every mistake.
St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol emphasized the importance of winning against an elite team like the Dodgers. “That’s a good club over there, and Shohei is as tough as they come,” he said. “But our guys showed grit tonight. We fought through six innings against the best player in the world and found a way to win.”
The last time the Cardinals won a series against the Dodgers was during the 2019 season — an eternity in baseball years. Since then, Los Angeles has been a perennial powerhouse while St. Louis has shuffled between rebuilding phases and fleeting postseason aspirations. Sunday’s comeback felt like more than just one win; it was a reminder that baseball games, even ones dominated by greatness, are still decided in the final frames.
Ohtani’s performance added another chapter to his MVP-worthy campaign, but the Cardinals’ resilience proved decisive. And as the sun set on Dodger Stadium, the scoreboard told the only story that mattered: Cardinals 5, Dodgers 3.
