Hit a homer for him: Dalton Rushing fulfills Shohei Ohtanis request as Dodgers DH

The Dodgers “have a great DH,” Shohei Ohtani said Wednesday night.Only this time, the four-time MVP wasn’t talking about himself.Instead, earlier in the afternoon, the team announced a lineup for their eventual 8–2 win over the New York Mets that came with an unexpected change in the designated hitter’s role.Ohtani was out, tasked only with pitching in the game as he nursed a bruised shoulder sustained from a hit-by-pitch two days earlier. Backup catcher Dalton Rushing was in, filling Ohtani’s normal DH spot as he tried to continue his own hot start to the season.It was a move that surprised Ohtani –– prompting what manager Dave Roberts joked was a wide-eyed reaction when he was informed of the decision the night before.However, it was also a move that Ohtani said he understood as “good strategy” as the team prioritizes his long-term health.Just so long as Rushing fulfilled one request.“He told me to hit a homer for him,” Rushing recounted with a smile. In his latest breakout performance, the second-year slugger did much more than that.In the second inning, Rushing lined a two-out, two-strike double off Mets starter Clay Holmes, setting up Hyeseong Kim for a two-run homer that opened the scoring.Then, he put the game out of reach with an even bigger swing in the bottom of the eighth, hitting not only a home run off Mets closer Devin Williams –– but a first-career grand slam that sailed out to straightaway center.“Feels good just to contribute to a team like this, to feel like every day you’re helping this team win, regardless of the results,” Rushing said.“It’s a different feeling than I had last year.

Feels a little more normal.”There’s been little normal, of course, about the blistering start Rushing has gotten off to in the opening weeks of this season.Though he has appeared in just five games so far, he now has four long balls, six extra-base hits and eight RBIs, good for a .529 batting average that is validating his ...