Ohtani's Sweeper Baffles Altuve in Stunning Chase Strikeout

Shohei Ohtani made Houston second baseman Jose Altuve look foolish with a stunning swing-and-miss on Tuesday night in Houston.

After striking out and grounding out in his first two at-bats against the Dodgers star, Altuve came up in the bottom of the fifth with runners on the corners. On a 1-2 count, Ohtani threw a sweeper well outside the strike zone, hoping Altuve would chase.

Altuve did, swinging wildly at the pitch that veered far away. The sweeper would have hit a left-handed batter; Altuve needed a ladder to reach it. He pulled the trigger anyway and missed badly.

The camera caught Ohtani fighting back laughter after the bizarre strikeout.

Altuve went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, but the Astros beat Los Angeles 2-1 on four hits. Ohtani struck out eight over seven innings but allowed two solo home runs that decided the tight game.

The loss marked Ohtani's third straight start in which the Dodgers lost. A defeat to the Astros on Wednesday would give Los Angeles its third series loss in a row.