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Dalton Rushing fulfills Shohei Ohtani’s request as Dodgers DH: ‘Hit a homer for him’
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- Dalton Rushing fulfills Shohei Ohtani’s request as Dodgers DH: ‘Hit a homer for him’
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.
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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.
Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani walks off the field after the third inning against the Mets on April 15 in Los Angeles. AP
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.
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"He told me to hit a homer for him," Rushing recounted with a smile.
Dodgers hitter Dalton Rushing hits a grand slam in the eighth inning against the Mets at Dodger Stadium. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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.
Rushing has seeds thrown at him after hitting the grand slam. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
"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."
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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 potential as a former top prospect.
It has all resulted from what Rushing described as a "simplified" approach to his daily process this year, having reframed his mindset following a disappointing rookie campaign .
"It's like, 'Alright, I'm gonna help this team win day in, day out,'" he explained. "Rather than, 'All right, you have a big swing once a month.'"
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Such changes were evident Wednesday, starting with the second-inning double he hit off Holmes. In a 0–1 count, Rushing chased a low changeup that might have sent him spiraling last year. But this time, he adjusted, lining another changeup on the next pitch 104.2 mph down the right-field line.
"I see a difference this year as to last year," he said. "There's more thoughts going on in the box, understanding the way the guy in front of me is thinking, the way the guy behind me is thinking. And in this game, that's almost everything."
Rushing was tested again later in the night, striking out in his next two at-bats and having to stew on them while he sat on the bench.
All players wore No. 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. Getty Images
But once again, he didn't lose his composure.
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And when Williams hung him a first-pitch changeup in the eighth, he launched it 412 feet to put the game away.
"We've seen results as of early," Rushing said. "But at the same time, this is no race. You got to keep this pace. You have to keep the consistency in what I'm doing every day, to stay ready, regardless of how many days I play."
Rushing knows that still probably won't be often. He joked that he certainly won't be getting used to DH'ing –– unless, that is, Ohtani "wants to let me take some at-bats," he added with a laugh.
"I think we can leave it to him," the superstar quipped.
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For now, however, the 25-year-old is simply happy to be producing, trying to "ride the wave as long as we can" after his breakthrough start to the season.
"Honestly, I'm just glad I could give this team another weapon," he said. "Anything you do to help this team win, as a young guy, it gives you a boost of confidence."
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