Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani (17) scores on an RBI single by Teoscar Hernandez (not shown) during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Monday, May 26, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

CLEVELAND (AP) — There aren’t many times when you can say Shohei Ohtani is improving.

However, the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar is having a great May after not finding his power stroke until June 1 most seasons.

Ohtani has hit a leadoff homer in consecutive games for the second time in his career.

In Monday night’s 7-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians, the reigning National League MVP drove a low, inside fastball from Gavin Williams into the right-field stands for his major league-leading 19th homer of the season.

It was Ohtani’s fifth leadoff homer this season and 17th since arriving in the majors from Japan in 2018. It was the second time this year he went deep on the first pitch.

It was the third time Williams allowed a homer on the first pitch, tied with the Athletics’ Jeffrey Springs, Milwaukee’s Nestor Cortes and Boston’s Tanner Houck for the most this season.

“Shohei is always going to be aggressive early,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I think it was more control over command. It was a high-velocity fastball. He was set up away and yanked it down and into his nitro zone.”

Ohtani also had leadoff homers in consecutive games June 25-26 last season against the Chicago White Sox.

Roberts said before the game that Ohtani is likely to throw a bullpen on the team’s off day Thursday after facing hitters Sunday for the first time in his rehab program. Ohtani is recovering from surgery on his right elbow on Sept. 19, 2023.

“He did come out of yesterday feeling good,” Roberts said.

On Tuesday, Ohtani became the third player in Dodgers history to reach 20 homers in the team’s first 55 games with a two-run drive during the fourth inning against the Guardians. The Japanese star joined Gil Hodges (21 in 1951) and Cody Bellinger (20 in 2019) as Dodgers with at least 20 homers in the first 55 games.

The Dodgers went on to defeat the Guardians 9-5 as Michael Conforto and Max Muncy also went deep.