Shohei Ohtani and Gavin Stone Lead Dodgers to 4-0 Victory Over White Sox
Shohei Ohtani launched a leadoff home run and Gavin Stone pitched a complete-game shutout, propelling the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 4-0 win against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night, extending their winning streak to four games.
Ohtani, batting first, smashed Erick Fedde’s full-count cut fastball 437 feet into right-center field, marking his NL-leading 25th homer of the season with an exit velocity of 113.9 mph. This blast also extended Ohtani’s RBI streak to a franchise-record 10 games, including a leadoff homer in the Dodgers’ previous 4-3 victory on Tuesday night.
“There’s been a lot of opportunities with runners on base,” Ohtani commented through a translator. “All I’m trying to do is have a quality at-bat. So I think that (RBI streak) is the result of that.”
On the mound, Gavin Stone (9-2) was dominant, striking out seven without issuing a walk in his first career complete game. His stellar performance provided a significant boost to the NL West-leading Dodgers, who had relied heavily on their bullpen in the first two games of the series, with 11 scoreless innings.
“Just in complete control. Just a dominant performance,” praised Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
Stone’s gem marked the Dodgers’ first complete game since Walker Buehler’s shutout against Arizona on April 25, 2022.
“I just tried to focus on getting guys out and not even worrying about going deep in the game,” Stone reflected after the game.
Playing in front of a sold-out crowd on Mexican Heritage Night, the Chicago White Sox struggled, getting shut out for the 12th time this season. They managed just one hit in 21 opportunities with runners in scoring position across the series, scoring only three runs on a total of 17 hits.
Fedde (5-3) took the loss for Chicago, surrendering four runs and five hits over six innings. Despite his strong home record (4-1, 1.64 ERA in seven starts), Fedde lamented a critical pitch to Freddie Freeman, resulting in a two-run double in the third inning.
“For the most part, I did well after the third inning,” Fedde remarked. “The one pitch I want back is the one to Freeman, the double.”
Chicago’s struggles were compounded by the departure of right fielder Gavin Sheets in the sixth inning due to a left heel injury. X-rays came back negative, but Sheets is listed as day-to-day.
White Sox manager Pedro Grifol was ejected in the sixth inning after a dispute with home plate umpire Derek Thomas over the strike zone.
“I wasn’t particularly too happy with balls and strikes, especially early on our side with Fedde,” Grifol said.
The loss extended the White Sox’s recent woes, dropping seven of their last eight games and falling to a season record of 21-61, a staggering 40 games under .500.
