Ohtani goes deep in spring training debut for Dodgers
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Shohei Ohtani needed just three exhibition at-bats to show what a $700 million man can do for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ohtani hit a two-run homer in his first game wearing Dodger blue on Tuesday, working a full count in the fifth inning before an opposite-field shot off Dominic Leone that just cleared the left-field wall.
“Definitely felt good at the plate, felt better each time,” Ohtani said through a translator. “We’re trending in the right direction.”
Ohtani was hitless in his first two plate appearances, striking out on four pitches in the first inning and hitting a hard grounder into a double play in the third.
The two-time Most Valuable Player received a standing ovation before his first at-bat at Camelback Ranch, where dozens of fans wore his No. 17 jersey and cheered his every move.
“With Shohei — I’m starting to learn really quickly — he’s built differently,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He took some really good swings.”
Ohtani’s first full swing on Tuesday wasn’t exactly one of the memories. He missed the ball, his helmet tumbled off his head and it took a few seconds to gather himself before returning to the batter’s box.
But he corrected that momentary awkwardness in a hurry, showing the power that’s helped him hit 124 homers over the past three seasons. The crowd roared when Ohtani connected and the cheers grew louder as the ball slowly drifted over the left-field wall.
“I thought I hit it a little too high, but maybe the Arizona weather factored in a little,” Ohtani said.
Ohtani was in the second spot of the lineup against the Chicago White Sox, sandwiched between leadoff hitter Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
Roberts said all three stars were receptive to the Betts-ohtani-freeman lineup construction. The manager added that having Ohtani at the No. 2 spot wasn’t “set in stone,” but it’s something he wants to try.
“I feel that having Shohei hitting in front of Freddie gives Shohei a lot of protection,” Roberts said.
It was Ohtani’s first spring training game since signing a $700 million, 10year contract — and first since elbow surgery in September that will keep him from pitching this year.
The 29-year-old is further along in his recovery than anticipated, and the team hopes he will be available when the Dodgers and the San Diego Padres play a two-game series in Seoul, South Korea, on March 20 and 21 to start the regular season.