Canning Shuts Down Ohtani: Mets Win Series
- Los Angeles—The New York Mets have found a formula to contain Shohei Ohtani, one of baseball's most potent hitters, securing a 6-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers...
- Against most teams, Ohtani boasts an impressive .301/.399/.671 slash line.
- Canning's performance included a crucial full-count strikeout of Ohtani in the fifth inning, a moment that coudl have shifted the game's momentum. Ohtani finished the game 2-for-4 with...
Griffin Canning’s dominant pitching performance shut down Shohei Ohtani, as the New York Mets clinched their season series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a decisive 6-1 victory. The Mets have successfully neutralized the impact of the league’s most potent hitter, Ohtani, by employing strategic pitching tactics and limiting his offensive opportunities. While Ohtani’s numbers against most teams are impressive, the Mets have held him to a significantly lower average. Pete Alonso’s two home runs further fueled the victory. The Mets’ ability to use different pitches and locations at the plate has been key, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. Catch all the critical details from this key series on News Directory 3. Discover what’s next for the Mets as they continue their season.
Mets Pitching Staff Neutralizes Shohei Ohtani, Clinches Series
Updated June 05, 2025
Los Angeles—The New York Mets have found a formula to contain Shohei Ohtani, one of baseball’s most potent hitters, securing a 6-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday and clinching their season series. A key element has been the Mets’ ability to limit Ohtani’s offensive production compared to his performance against the rest of the league.
Against most teams, Ohtani boasts an impressive .301/.399/.671 slash line. However, against the Mets, that drops to .208/.286/.458.This success continued Wednesday, with Griffin Canning delivering six shutout innings, backed by Pete Alonso’s two home runs and five RBIs.
Canning’s performance included a crucial full-count strikeout of Ohtani in the fifth inning, a moment that coudl have shifted the game’s momentum. Ohtani finished the game 2-for-4 with two singles, a result the Mets were willing to accept.
Mets pitchers focus on avoiding situations where Ohtani can significantly impact the score. Solo home runs, while unavoidable at times, are preferable to allowing him to drive in multiple runners.
“As a whole, I feel like we’ve pitched him really well,” said Paul Blackburn, Mets starter.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts noted the Mets’ strategy of keeping Ohtani off balance.”If something is in the strike zone, it’s spin or changeup, and they’re changing a lot of locations — they’re going in, crowding him, going away. They’re just not repeating a lot,” Roberts said.
Tylor Megill emphasized the importance of unpredictability. Blackburn added that he attacks Ohtani with hard pitches up and in, and softer pitches down and away, a strategy honed from multiple matchups in the American League West.
“I don’t want to give in,” Canning said of his approach to Ohtani. “He put a good swing on a fastball earlier in the game…so I was leaning on my slider to get there and than just kind of showed him something different with the changeup 3-2.”
What’s next
With the season series against the Dodgers secured, the Mets will look to continue their success against Ohtani and build on their recent strong pitching performances as they face their next opponent.