Shohei Ohtani's career 1,000th hit was a powerful home run hit while he was pitching.

Shohei Ohtani's return to his two-way stardom has often felt like a gradual buildup, even as he made a long-awaited return to the mound. With each game, as his innings pitched increase, he continually reminds everyone of his immense dominance on both offense and defense.

Ohtani recorded his 1,000th Major League hit—a two-run home run, marking his 39th of the season—while also striking out eight batters on the mound. However, the Dodgers couldn't hold onto their lead and lost to the Cardinals 3-5 at Dodger Stadium today.

“The game was very close throughout,” Ohtani said through translator Will Ireton. “If we could have turned it around, it would have been a huge win for us. I could have performed better in my at-bats during the middle of the game.”

Only three Japanese-born players have reached the milestone of 1,000 hits in the majors, with Ohtani joining Ichiro Suzuki (3,089 hits) and Hideki Matsui (1,253 hits). Ohtani also became the fourth active player on the Dodgers to achieve this milestone, joining Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and Teoscar Hernández, who also reached it earlier this season.

Ohtani not only helped his team take the lead with this milestone home run, but he also provided himself with run support. He alleviated concerns about his previous early exit from pitching due to a right hip cramp, extending his outing to four innings for the first time this season, allowing just one run on two hits from the Cardinals.

“I think today was an important day for me personally,” Ohtani said, “to pitch into the fourth inning and complete it. I believe it’s very beneficial for my recovery.”

Before the game, Dodger Stadium was buzzing with excitement, as fans arrived early to receive that day’s giveaway—a replica of Ohtani's World Series championship ring. Once seated, the fans watched Ohtani pitch two scoreless innings before the Cardinals scored in the third. Jordan Walker reached base after a high fly ball was lost in the sun by second baseman Miguel Rojas and then scored on a bunt single by Brendan Donovan.

As the Dodgers fell behind, newly acquired Alex Call hit a double in the bottom of the third, marking his first hit since joining the team. Two batters later, Ohtani sent a pitch from Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore soaring into left-center field, with the ball leaving the bat at 109.5 mph.

It had been nine games since Ohtani last hit a home run, marking his second-longest homer drought of the season.

After completing his pitching duties, Ohtani struck out three batters in the next half-inning, finishing his outing. Out of the 14 batters he faced, eight struck out, and he issued no walks. He threw a total of 54 pitches (37 strikes), completing his longest outing of the season. He threw six pitches that reached or exceeded 100 mph, doubling the number he achieved in any of his previous eight starts (the previous high was three on June 29 against Kansas City).

“I love watching him pitch when we’re not here,” said Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol.

But Ohtani's stellar performance wasn't enough to secure a win for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers maintained a one-run lead until the top of the eighth, when left-handed pitcher Alex Vesia struggled unusually. With two on and two outs, Jordan Walker hit a single to tie the game and attempted to reach second base. Rookie third baseman Alex Freeland thought he had a chance to catch Walker, but his throw went awry, allowing the go-ahead run to score at home plate.

“It feels bad to let down Ohtani with a loss,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “Ohtani was outstanding today. His pitching and control of the fastball were excellent. Truly impressive. … Unfortunately, you need to play good defense and have other players put together good at-bats and score.”

For Ohtani, returning to being a two-way player is an adjustment process. Although he has always done this throughout his career, there is still an adaptation period as he relearns how to balance different workloads.

Even though Ohtani's offensive output has declined since returning to the mound, the way he handles everything remains impressive.

“It’s crazy,” Rojas said. “He finished late last night, running the bases, and then he comes in today to pitch and throws like that, hitting a home run. What he can do is just insane.”