LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani once again proved that there is no possible comparison in today’s baseball. The Japanese superstar shone once again in his dual role as pitcher and hitter by leading the Dodgers’ 4-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, in a game where Los Angeles came close to completing a combined no-hitter. Ohtani opened the game explosively, hitting a home run in the first at-bat of the game just minutes after pitching a scoreless first inning. It was the second consecutive pitching start in which he opened the scoring with a home run, solidifying a feat that no other pitcher has achieved in the history of Major League Baseball. From the mound, the Japanese pitcher was dominant. Although he struggled at times with control and issued four walks —his highest number of the season—, he managed to keep Colorado hitless for six full innings while striking out seven. The Rockies’ only run against Ohtani came in the fourth inning, taking advantage of walks and a hit batsman, but they could never figure him out with the bat. With that performance, Ohtani became the first pitcher since Jake Arrieta in 2015 to hit a home run and pitch at least six innings without allowing a hit in the same game. The combined no-hitter continued after his departure thanks to the relief of Will Klein, who preserved the feat in the seventh inning. However, Tyler Freeman shattered the dream of Los Angeles with a two-out single against Tanner Scott in the eighth inning. Even so, the Dodgers completed the sweep over Colorado and added another victory driven by the Japanese phenomenon, who continues to have a historic season. Ohtani’s home run came against Tomoyuki Sugano in a special duel between Japanese starting pitchers, the 21st of its kind in MLB history including postseason. The hit traveled 424 feet to center field with an exit velocity of 111.3 mph, according to Statcast, for his ninth home run of the year. Furthermore, it was only the second time in his career that he hit home runs in consecutive starts as a pitcher, something he also achieved in June 2023. In the Modern Era, which began in 1900, only four players had hit home runs in at least three consecutive starts as pitchers. Although he didn’t have his finest command, Ohtani once again demonstrated why he remains the most electrifying player on the planet. His ERA dropped to an impressive 0.82, the best among all MLB pitchers with at least 30 innings pitched this season. Every time he goes up to the mound —and takes a bat— he seems capable of making history.