LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani slugged a two-run homer and scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning when the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied after blowing a 3-0 lead to beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-3 on Friday night.
Earlier, the Los Angeles city council proclaimed May 17 as Shohei Ohtani Day in the city for as long as the Japanese two-way superstar plays for the Dodgers. He signed a record $700 million, 10-year contract in December.
Ohtani bounced back after being hitless in two at-bats on his first bobblehead night Thursday. The promotion snarled traffic outside Dodger Stadium and created long lines of fans clamoring for one of the 40,000 souvenirs, some of which were quickly offered for sale online at exorbitant prices.
''He didn't homer on his bobblehead day, so he was due,'' manager Dave Roberts said. ''That was a ball down below the zone or at the knees and to hit it the other way, spin it really well, a big hit. We just marvel at what he does.''
Ohtani's 30 extra-base hits are tied with former Dodger and Hall of Famer Duke Snider for the most through the team's first 47 games. Ohtani and teammate Mookie Betts are the only players in the majors with over 100 total bases this season.
Tied at 3, Will Smith singled in Ohtani, who grounded into a fielder's choice to first and was safe at second on a throwing error by shortstop Elly De La Cruz. The Dodgers made it 5-3 when Freddie Freeman scored on a wild pitch by Fernando Cruz (1-5) that sailed to the backstop.
Fresh off the injured list, Jason Heyward hit a two-run homer in the eighth, extending the lead to 7-3.
''Awesome to be back out there. I'll never take it for granted,'' he said. ''I hate missing games.''
