Shohei Ohtani collected his first pitching victory in nearly two years, striking out a season-high nine batters over five innings of one-run ball as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Cincinnati Reds 5–1 at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 27. The right-hander, who is also the club’s leadoff hitter, allowed just two hits and threw 87 pitches before exiting with a 4–1 lead. The win ended a 749-day drought for Ohtani, whose previous victory came on Aug. 9 2023 before undergoing a second right-elbow operation. It is his first as a Dodger and underscores his successful return to two-way duty this season; he also singled in the third inning to spark the go-ahead rally. Los Angeles has won four straight, improved to 77–57 and widened its National League West advantage to two games over the San Diego Padres. The club’s magic number to clinch the division moved to 28. Elsewhere, Lucas Giolito worked eight scoreless frames and Trevor Story and David Hamilton homered as the Boston Red Sox blanked the Baltimore Orioles 5–0. Boston, now 73–60, strengthened its hold on the American League’s top wild-card position.