Shohei Ohtani's leadoff homer powers Dodgers to 7-2 win over Guardians

CLEVELAND (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff homer for the second straight game and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Cleveland Guardians 7-2 on Monday night.

Will Smith also went deep for the Dodgers, who bounced back after dropping two of three games in New York to the Mets.

Los Angeles' first five hitters accounted for seven of its eight hits.

Ohtani didn't waste any time in hitting his major league-leading 19th homer of the season. He drove a low, inside fastball from Gavin Williams (4-3) on the first pitch into the right-field stands. It was the second time this year he went deep on the first pitch.

It was Ohtani’s fifth leadoff homer this season and 17th since arriving in the majors from Japan in 2018. It is the first time he has had 19 home runs in the majors before June 1.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (6-3) allowed two runs in six innings and struck out seven. The Japanese right-hander has a 1.97 ERA, which ranks sixth in the majors.

The Dodgers got a pair of insurance runs in the fifth on Teoscar Hernández's RBI single and Max Muncy's sacrifice fly.

Cleveland's José Ramírez extended his hitting streak to a career-high 19 games with a pair of doubles. He is batting .387 (29 for 75) with 12 extra-base hits and 11 RBIs during that span.

Los Angeles RHP Dustin May (2-4, 4.09 ERA) faces Cleveland RHP Tanner Bibee (4-4, 3.57 ERA) in the middle game of the series.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani runs after hitting a solo home run off Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, May 26, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

Cleveland Guardians' Gavin Williams delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Monday, May 26, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto walks to the mound during the third inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Monday, May 26, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani watches his solo home run off Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, May 26, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, right, is congratulated by third base coach Dino Ebel, left, after hitting a solo home run off Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, May 26, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)