Shohei Ohtani faced Mark Canha in a tense early game sequence that nearly sparked a confrontation. In the first inning, Ohtani tried to challenge Canha with high fastballs but ended up walking him. By the third, Ohtani went up and in again, nearly hitting Canha. That pitch lit a fuse. Canha barked from the box, frustrated by how close the ball came to his head. Catcher Tomás Suzuki stepped in, defending his pitcher aggressively, telling Canha to stop showing up Ohtani. Canha argued he had every right to react to a pitch near his face. Ohtani stayed out of the drama, offering a calm apology to try to ease the moment.
After the dust-up, Ohtani refocused and finished Canha’s at-bat with a strikeout. Suzuki fired to second, completing a strike-him-out, throw-him-out double play. Ohtani clapped in celebration, clearly relieved. In the sixth, another pitch from Ohtani hit Canha, this time on a low and inside breaker. But by then, neither side made a big deal. Canha took his base without issue, and Ohtani made it clear it wasn’t intentional. Both teams seemed ready to move on.