It was quite the week for Shohei Ohtani.

Thursday marked Ohtani’s inaugural bobblehead night with the Dodgers, drawing massive queues outside Dodger Stadium up to four hours before the game. The lines were so extensive that the gates were opened earlier than usual.

The next day, Ohtani received recognition from the Los Angeles City Council, who proclaimed May 17th as Shohei Ohtani Day in L.A. County for the next decade while he wears a Dodgers uniform. As expected, Ohtani later hit a home run that night.

On Sunday, Ohtani concluded the eventful weekend by securing his first walk-off hit since joining the Dodgers, delivering an RBI single off right-hander Alexis Díaz to seal Los Angeles’ 3-2 victory over Cincinnati at Dodger Stadium.

“Overall, [it was a] special weekend,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “I wasn’t able to get a base hit during my bobblehead day, but I was able to end it on a very good note.”

In the Dodgers’ first 47 games, Ohtani has emerged as the leader in nearly every offensive category. Despite primarily serving as a designated hitter, he has firmly established himself as one of the early contenders for the NL MVP title. However, if there’s an area where Ohtani has faced challenges this season, it’s batting with runners in scoring position.

Initially, Ohtani struggled, managing only one hit in his initial 21 plate appearances with runners in scoring position. Following a game where he swung at the first pitch in three at-bats, manager Dave Roberts disclosed that the team had a discussion with Ohtani regarding improving his approach in such situations.

Subsequently, Ohtani has shown improvement, notably by working a favorable count against Díaz and delivering a single on a pitch down and inside, a situation where most left-handed batters would typically hit a ground ball to first base.

The Dodgers’ designated hitter is now 12-for-50 with 14 RBIs with runners in scoring position this season.

“It’s gotten better,” Roberts said. “I think that there’s certain times [when if] you can expand, you should expand. But I think, by and large, you need to stay disciplined in your strike zone, and certainly Shohei covers more than most players. But, you know, the last four weeks, he’s been very stubborn in the strike zone, earning good pitches to hit. And when they make mistakes, he takes advantage.”

While Ohtani sealed the deal, he wasn’t the sole contributor. The presence of stars on the roster elevates the Dodgers as one of the most formidable teams in the Majors. However, it’s their depth across the board that truly sets them apart.

Rookie right-hander Landon Knack maintained his impressive start to his career with a spot start on Sunday, conceding just one run over 4 2/3 innings. Despite the challenges of shuttling between the Majors and Minors, Knack boasts a 2.61 ERA across four starts at the big league level.

“He’s in a tough spot where he goes down there and pitches and then comes up and makes spot starts and it’s not easy,” Roberts said. “So you got to be some kind of focused to be able to that.”