Shohei Ohtani tied the MLB home run lead of 10 on Sunday after hitting two in a single game for the first time this season, going 4-for-4 with three RBIs in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 5-1 win over the Atlanta Braves.
Batting second as designated hitter, the two-way star went deep in back-to-back games to put the Dodgers on the board with a two-run shot with no outs in the first inning, launching one off a 2-1 curveball from Max Fried (2-1) over center field at Dodger Stadium.
Ohtani singled in the third and sixth before capping the day off with a solo blast to open the eighth, connecting on Braves reliever A.J. Minter's first-pitch fastball for a 464-foot (141-meter) bomb again over the center-field wall.
"The point of contact was slightly toward the back (of my stance) with the first one. I hoped it was just about enough to get into the stands," Ohtani said.
"The second one was perfect. I timed my swing well against a ball that came relatively into the middle."
Ohtani said where the ball landed for his two homers is "a good sign" and was pleased with how far the second traveled.
"Having confidence in hitting homers to those areas allows me to be confident also with my approach against other pitches," he said.
"I think my strength lies with getting extra-base hits...It's important to hit those with where I am (in the batting order) when you look at the balance of our team."
James Paxton (4-0) held the Braves to a run over 6-2/3 innings as the Dodgers won their fourth straight. Ohtani, who leads the MLB in batting average with .364, claimed he is not concerned about stats for the time being.
"I've barely checked my numbers this year," he said. "I have done it less than in all my past seasons."
Related coverage:
Baseball: Ohtani hits 8th homer, claims record in win over Braves
Baseball: Shohei Ohtani helps Dodgers hold off Braves
Ohtani appears with wife at charity event hosted by Dodgers
