Shohei Ohtani’s Third Consecutive Bobblehead Night Homer Sparks Dodgers’ Unstoppable Fury—What’s Next for MLB’s Newest Powerhouse?

Thursday night was something special at Dodger Stadium, as the Los Angeles Dodgers handed out a Shohei Ohtani bobblehead commemorating his rare 50-50 achievement—a feat so outstanding it hardly seems human. But Ohtani didn’t just stop at looking the part on the souvenir shelf; he put on a show on the diamond, flashing that incredible speed and power combo right before the crowd. Overwhelming the Athletics’ bullpen, he launched two homers within the opening four innings, tying him atop the MLB leaderboard with 15 long balls this season. The first shot sailed a crisp 382 feet to the opposite field, followed by a thunderous 418-foot blast straight to center.

Ohtani’s red-hot start continues unabated—he’s slashing an eye-popping .313/.413/.681, boasting 10 stolen bases and leading the league with 48 runs scored. If he keeps pacing like this, we might be looking at a historic 55 homers paired with 39 steals—a staggering mix of power and speed that seems almost surreal, especially given what he pulled off last year. And here’s a fun nugget for the trivia books: this marks the third straight bobblehead event where Ohtani has homered. From last season’s legendary 50-50 surge to this season’s early walk-off heroics, the guy’s knack for delivering on special nights is uncanny.

Dodger fans should prepare—there are two more Ohtani bobblehead nights scheduled later this summer, turning these promotional evenings into near sure-fire hitting showcases. All this while he’s still working his way back from major elbow surgery and rehab setbacks—the kind of resilience that makes you admire him not just as a player, but as a competitor. Sure, his pitching return remains a bit of a mystery, but as long as he’s crushing homers like this? The Dodgers have every reason to be thrilled.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers gave out a Shohei Ohtani bobblehead on Thursday showcasing their superstar stealing a base, in celebration of his unprecedented 50-50 season. He flashed the other part of that accomplishment during the game.

The reigning NL MVP hit two homers in the first four innings as part of a 15-run Dodgers onslaught against the Athletics, tying him for the MLB lead in homers with 15. First, he took a ball from A’s reliever Jason Alexander 382 feet to the opposite field (video above).

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And then he took Alexander 418 feet to center field.

It’s been another hot start for Ohtani this season, as he’s now slashing .313/.413/.681 plus 10 stolen bases and an MLB-best 48 runs after the second homer. He is currently on pace to post 55 homers and 39 stolen bases, which would be historic had it not been for what he did one year ago.

If Ohtani homering on his bobblehead night sounds familiar to you, it’s because this is the third straight time he’s gone deep on a bobblehead night.

Last season, he hit led off the game with his 42nd homer of the season, just as his 50-50 campaign was really heating up. The Dodgers had been giving away a bobblehead featuring Ohtani and his dog Dekopin that night, with Dekopin throwing an adorable first pitch.

The next bobblehead night came early this season, with Ohtain hitting a walk-off homer to make the Dodgers the first reigning World Series champion to begin a season with eight straight wins.

So this was the second Ohtani bobblehead night of the season. The bad news for the Dodgers’ opponents on Aug. 27 and Sept. 10 is that he has two more scheduled for those days, as part of a 21-bobblehead lineup on the Dodgers’ promotional schedule this year.

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Ohtani is doing all this while still recovering from the elbow surgery he underwent at the end of the 2023 season. His return time remains hazy, as his offseason rehab was thrown off after tearing the labrum in his non-throwing shoulder during the 2024 World Series. He’s mostly thrown bullpens this season, but remains roughly a couple months away from taking the mound again.

As long as he’s still hitting homers, the Dodgers probably aren’t going to worry about that side of his game too much.