Shohei Ohtani blasted his 40th home run of the season on Saturday night, a 417-foot solo shot off Chris Bassitt that helped power the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 9–1 rout of the Toronto Blue Jays at Dodger Stadium. The drive made the 31-year-old the first Japanese player to record three straight seasons with at least 40 homers and the fourth time overall he has reached the mark. The milestone came in a game dominated on the mound by Blake Snell, who struck out 10 over five shutout innings in just his fourth start since returning from a shoulder injury. Max Muncy opened the scoring with a two-run homer, and the Dodgers broke the contest open with a six-run sixth inning. Ohtani went deep again the following night, lining a first-inning cutter from Eric Lauer into the right-field seats for No. 41, which—at least temporarily—tied him for the National League lead. He finished 2-for-4 with his 17th stolen base, but the Dodgers’ bullpen surrendered three late homers and Los Angeles fell 5–4, ending a two-game winning streak. Ohtani’s 41 home runs put him on pace for 56 over the 162-game season, but Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber reclaimed the NL lead hours later with his 42nd. The Dodgers move on to a two-game Freeway Series against the Angels with Ohtani—who is hitting safely in nine straight games—continuing to chase both franchise records and another home-run crown.