Shohei Ohtani hits first home run for Dodgers, who beat Giants 5-4 for 3-game sweep

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit his first home run for the Los Angeles Dodgers, a solo drive in the seventh inning in a 5-4 win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night that finished a three-game sweep.

Playing his ninth game for his new team, Ohtani pulled a 93.2 mph sinker from left-hander Taylor Rogers on the upper, outer portion of the strike zone into the right-center field pavilion. The ball left his bat at 105.6 mph and landed 430 feet from the plate, where it was picked up by a fan.

"Honestly, very relieved that I was able to hit my first homer,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “It’s been a while and honestly my swing hasn’t been great. So overall very relieved.”

The home run came in the 41st plate appearance for the two-time MVP, who left the Los Angeles Angels after last season as a free agent and agreed to a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers.

“I got myself into a fastball count there and then figured I’d try to do the same thing I did yesterday,” said Rogers, who got Ohtani to ground out on a nearly identical pitch in Tuesday's game. “... That was my plan. Throw it over there and see if he’ll do the same thing as yesterday.”

Ohtani’s home run, the 172nd of his major league career, put the Dodgers ahead 5-3. The two-way star is limited to hitting this year following elbow surgery in September and entered in a 3-for-20 slide. He also singled and scored in the second inning, and he is hitting .270 with four RBIs.

Ohtani met the fan who caught his home run ball after the game. He gave the fan a ball, a bat and two hats in exchange for the home run ball.

“Obviously, it’s a very special ball,” Ohtani said. “A lot of feelings toward it. I’m very grateful that it’s back.”

Tyler Glasnow (2-0) retired 15 of his first 18 batters before faltering in the sixth. He gave up three runs and four hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.

Joe Kelly pitched the seventh and Daniel Hudson the eighth before Dinelson Lamet finished the five-hitter by striking out two in a perfect ninth for his first professional save.

Miguel Rojas also homered and drove in two runs for the Dodgers, who won their fourth straight game and improved to 7-2. The Dodgers have scored at least five runs in all nine games to start the season, the first time they've done that in franchise history.

“Even right now with some guys that are kind of scuffling and trying to find their way with their swing, we’re still putting up five runs a game,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I think it’s big for our starting pitching and it’s big just for morale knowing that we can score early, we can score late, and we’ve seen some good arms and we’re still finding ways to put up some crooked numbers, which is huge.”

Jorge Soler and Patrick Bailey hit solo home runs for the Giants, who have lost four straight and dropped to 2-5. San Francisco has dropped 14 of its last 19 against the Dodgers.

Kyle Harrison (1-1) gave up four runs, six hits and three walks in five innings.

After Bailey's home run tied it in the third, Will Smith hit an RBI double in the bottom half and scored on Teoscar Hernández's single for a 3-1 lead.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Giants: LHP Blake Snell threw 77 pitches in a simulated game. Snell, who is building his arm strength after signing with the Giants late in spring training, is scheduled to make his first start Monday against Washington.

Dodgers: OF Jason Heyward was placed on the 10-day injured list with lower back tightness, a move retroactive to Saturday.

UP NEXT

Giants: RHP Jordan Hicks (1-0) will start against the San Diego Padres and RHP Dylan Cease (0-1) in the Giants’ home opener on Friday.

Dodgers: RHP Bobby Miller (1-0) will start the opener of a three-game series at the Chicago Cubs on Friday.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani celebrates with Teoscar Hernandez (37) after hitting a home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in Los Angeles, Wednesday, April 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) celebrates with third base coach Dino Ebel as he runs the bases after hitting a home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in Los Angeles, Wednesday, April 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani celebrates with Freddie Freeman (5) after hitting a home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in Los Angeles, Wednesday, April 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hits a home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in Los Angeles, Wednesday, April 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani runs the bases after hitting a home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in Los Angeles, Wednesday, April 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani runs the bases after hitting a home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in Los Angeles, Wednesday, April 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani celebrates with Teoscar Hernandez (37) after hitting a home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in Los Angeles, Wednesday, April 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani celebrates with Teoscar Hernandez (37) after hitting a home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in Los Angeles, Wednesday, April 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani walks through sunflower seeds after hitting a home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in Los Angeles, Wednesday, April 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani celebrates with Freddie Freeman (5) after hitting a home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in Los Angeles, Wednesday, April 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani celebrates after hitting a home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in Los Angeles, Wednesday, April 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani runs the bases after hitting a home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in Los Angeles, Wednesday, April 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani celebrates as he runs the bases after hitting a home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in Los Angeles, Wednesday, April 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani celebrates as he runs the bases after hitting a home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in Los Angeles, Wednesday, April 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hits a home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in Los Angeles, Wednesday, April 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

NEW YORK (AP) — Francisco Alvarez went 3 for 3 with an early homer and three RBIs, Tyrone Taylor added a three-run drive and the surging New York Mets routed the New York Yankees 12-2 on Wednesday night for a two-game Subway Series sweep.

Harrison Bader also went deep and delivered an RBI double for the Mets (39-39), who chased rookie Luis Gil (9-3) in the fifth inning. They pounded Yankees pitching for seven homers, 21 runs and 24 hits over two nights at Citi Field.

“As a guy that likes to talk a lot of crap, I think it’s fun,” said shortstop Francisco Lindor, who enjoyed earning city bragging rights for the Mets and their fans. "I think it’s fun for the barbershop. I think it’s fun for every workplace.”

With their 15th victory in 19 games, the Mets climbed back to .500 for the first time since they were 18-18 going into a May 10 loss to Atlanta.

“That's not the mission, but it does feel good that we are on the right track,” Lindor said. “It's a beautiful thing when we can all hold each other accountable, and that's what we're doing right now.”

The struggling Yankees, who lead the AL East, have lost four consecutive series and eight of 10 games.

“You don’t like getting your teeth kicked in. It’s been a crappy two weeks for us. But it’s part of it. We know it’s coming," manager Aaron Boone said. “Adversity’s going to hit you. We got hit with a little bit right now.”

Following an 87-minute rain delay in the fifth, Aaron Judge launched a two-run homer with the Yankees trailing 7-0 in the sixth. It was his 287th home run, tying Bernie Williams for seventh in franchise history.

Judge also joined Mark McGwire (four times) and Ken Griffey Jr. as the only players to reach 30 homers before the All-Star break three times.

Sean Manaea (5-3) dodged early trouble, dancing around five walks by allowing only two hits in five shutout innings before a sellout crowd of 43,004. He induced three double-play grounders in the first four innings, including two from Alex Verdugo before Verdugo snapped an 0-for-22 slump with a single in the sixth.

Verdugo bounced into an inning-ending double play after three consecutive walks in the first — the second night in a row the Yankees came up empty after loading the bases with less than two outs in the first inning.

“I asked our guys if that was the scouting report — get the bases loaded. Because it felt like it was déjà vu,” Lindor said. “But hats off to our pitching staff, being able to get out of those jams.”

Alvarez hit a two-run homer that made it 3-0 in the third, then added an RBI double in a four-run fifth — both to the opposite field. He also walked and scored three times, finishing a triple short of the cycle on his perfect night at the plate.

“I like the way I feel right now," the 22-year-old catcher said.

Mark Vientos had two RBIs and Lindor doubled his first two times up for the Mets, who have homered in 10 straight games. They've scored at least 10 runs five times in their past 13 games after doing it just twice in their first 65 games.

“It’s a good feeling now,” said rookie manager Carlos Mendoza, who was Boone’s bench coach with the Yankees the past four seasons. “Credit to that group right there. Good players, good coaches, and they're having fun."

Adrian Houser pitched three scoreless innings for his first major league save.

Gil was charged with five runs, four hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings. He's lost two consecutive starts, including a huge flop last week against Baltimore, after going 9-0 in his previous 11.

“No one expects it to be easy,” Boone said. “I know you sail through the first couple months and obviously at a level not foreseen, really. You’re going to have bumps along the way. So we’ll kind of rally around him and keep up with him getting better. But he’ll learn from it and grow from it.”

The crosstown rivals meet again for two more games July 23-24 at Yankee Stadium.

“It feels good to be playing good baseball, not just the past two nights, but a month I would say,” Lindor said. “This is what we expect.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: RHP Scott Effross (low back surgery) had his rehab assignment transferred from Class A Tampa to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Mets: RHP Drew Smith was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow sprain, and RHP Ty Adcock was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse. ... RHP Kodai Senga (right shoulder capsule strain) is scheduled to throw two innings of live batting practice against minor leaguers Thursday at Citi Field.

UP NEXT

Yankees: LHP Carlos Rodón (9-4, 3.86 ERA) starts Thursday night at last-place Toronto against RHP José Berríos (6-6, 3.43) in the opener of a four-game series.

Mets: Following a day off, LHP Jose Quintana (3-5, 4.58 ERA) faces Astros RHP Ronel Blanco (8-2, 2.34) on Friday night at Citi Field. Houston has won seven in a row to get back to .500.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Grounds crew members cover the infield during a rain delay in the fifth inning of a baseball game between the New York Mets and the New York Yankees, Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Security workers stand on the field during a rain delay in a baseball game between the New York Mets and the New York Yankees at Citi Field, Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Mets' Brandon Nimmo slides past New York Yankees catcher Jose Trevino to score on a double by Francisco Alvarez during the fifth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Mets' Francisco Alvarez runs to second base for an RBI double against the New York Yankees during the fifth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees pitcher Luis Gil walks off the mound as New York Mets' Francisco Alvarez runs the bases on a two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Mets' Francisco Alvarez celebrates with Tyrone Taylor, left, and Brandon Nimmo, right, after hitting a two-run home run against the New York Yankees during the third inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Mets' Francisco Alvarez hits an RBI double against the New York Yankees during the fifth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)