LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani moved to the doorstep of another career milestone Monday night, blasting his 19th home run of the season, and the 299th of his career, to help power the Los Angeles Dodgers to an 8-7 win over the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium.

Ohtani's two-run shot in the third inning put the Dodgers ahead in a back-and-forth contest that ultimately went their way. The home run came off Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland, with Ohtani jumping on a first-pitch cutter and driving it out to left-center field at 105.9 mph off the bat. The blast followed an earlier at-bat in the game in which Ohtani laced a 111.8 mph lineout to center field in the first inning, a sign that his timing at the plate remained sharp even before he connected for the milestone-adjacent home run two innings later.

The performance also offered reassurance for the Dodgers regarding Ohtani's health. The two-way superstar had sat out Saturday's game due to right biceps tightness, a development that had drawn attention given his dual role as both a starting pitcher and one of the game's most dangerous hitters. Ohtani's authoritative swing against Freeland went a long way toward easing any lingering concern about the injury, at least for the time being.

Of Ohtani's 299 career home runs, 128 have come during his three seasons with the Dodgers since signing with the club, a stretch that has included an MVP-caliber run of........

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