Shohei Ohtani went hitless but extended his on-base streak to 47 games after being hit by a pitch, setting a new record for a Japanese-born player in Major League Baseball, in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 4-0 win over the New York Mets on Monday.
Batting leadoff as the designated hitter, Ohtani was hit in his first at-bat and later scored on Will Smith’s RBI single. Ohtani went 0-for-4 at Dodger Stadium. Chicago Cubs slugger Seiya Suzuki notched his first RBI of the season on a ground ball to left field in the eighth inning of a 13-7 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. “It was nice to have a hit in my last at-bat,” said the 31-year-old, who was back with the Cubs last week after missing the start of the season with a right knee injury. Suzuki went 1-for-4 with a walk. Among other Japanese MLB players, Houston Astros pitcher Tatsuya Imai was placed on the 15-day injured list with right arm fatigue. The right-hander, who moved to the Astros this offseason via the posting system, struggled in his latest start on Friday, walking four, hitting one batter and allowing three runs on one hit in 1/3 of an inning.