Strikeout of Shohei Ohtani was 'like hitting the lottery' to Pirates closer Dennis Santana

Dennis Santana made a memorable entrance against the Los Angeles Dodgers, as the lights went out at PNC Park and he walked out from the bullpen to Dominican rapper Rochy RD’s song, “Original.”

Santana’s exit was even more entertaining.

The Pittsburgh Pirates closer got Shohei Ohtani swinging at a slider for a strikeout to finish off a 3-0 win Sept. 3. Santana celebrated by pumping his fist, signaling a check mark and tapping his chest in triumph. The next day, Santana told SportsNet Pittsburgh’s Hannah Mears that it was “one of the best days of my life as a closer.”

What a way to seal the win ‼️ pic.twitter.com/HFGlbRV7Eu

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) September 4, 2025

Dennis Santana on striking out Ohtani to close out last night's game ????

"That was one of the best days of my life as a closer... I love it."@mearshannah_ pic.twitter.com/G81L591U1N

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) September 4, 2025

“It’s been really exciting, especially because I played for that team, so I feel good facing them,” said Santana, who debuted with the Dodgers in 2018 and made 32 appearances for them over four seasons. “It was so exciting that I can go in there and do that two days in a row.”

That Santana got Ohtani swinging at a slider should come as no surprise. It has become his signature putaway pitch (21.6%), and hitters are batting .162 against the slider even though he throws it on 46.5% of his offerings.

“That’s my pitch, the slider,” Santana told TribLive. “That was a good thing, especially having the fan support behind me and my whole team. It was special.”

A night earlier, Santana had surrendered an RBI double to Ohtani in the ninth inning before retiring the next three batters for the save in a 9-7 win. Ohtani homered and hit two doubles in that game but went down swinging against Santana the next night.

“So getting him out is like a prize,” Santana said. “It’s like hitting the lottery.”

Santana earned his 13th save this season and eighth since July 29. He served as the closer in April, when two-time All-Star David Bednar was demoted to Triple-A Indianapolis but returned to the setup role for much of the summer until Bednar was dealt to the New York Yankees at the trade deadline. After a few rough outings, Santana mostly has shined in save situations, with a 1.50 ERA in 12 outings since Aug. 8.

“Man, I can’t say enough about him and the attitude he brings every day. He’s a leader on this team, and the way that he goes about it, he is always prepared, always ready,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “He’s a competitor. He is always ready to take the ball and go compete. I can’t say enough great things about him.”

Kelly believes Santana’s selflessness has had an impact on the Pirates, noting that he was willing to enter a game in the fifth inning and pitch 1 2/3 scoreless innings in a 9-2 win over the New York Mets on June 28.

After he bounced from the Dodgers to the Texas Rangers, Mets and Yankees, the Pirates claimed Santana off waivers in June 2024. Since then, he has become one of the most reliable relievers in baseball. Santana has a 2.36 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in 61 innings this season and ranks in the 89th percentile in pitching run value.

“I mean, he’s been doing that since he got here last year, honestly, so it’s not a surprise that he’s been able to do what he’s done, just showing up and doing his job and getting the outs and getting us the opportunity to win the game,” Pirates designated hitter Andrew McCutchen said. “It’s no surprise to me, and it’s good to see what he’s doing.”