AROUND THE HORN
Shohei Ohtani knew he hadn’t homered in a while and felt relief when he sent a ball soaring into Dodger Stadium’s right-field pavilion. “Honestly, very relieved that I was able to hit my first homer,” Ohtani said through a translator after his seventh-inning drive helped the Dodgers to a 5-4 win over the rival Giants on Wednesday night. “It’s been a while and honestly my swing hasn’t been great. So overall very relieved.” Playing his ninth game for his new team, Ohtani pulled a 93.2 mph sinker from lefthander Taylor Rogers on the upper, outer portion of the strike zone. The ball left his bat at 105.6 mph and landed 430 feet from the plate, where it was picked up by a fan. “I got myself cut into a fastball count there and then figured I’d try to do the same thing I did yesterday,” said Rogers, who got Ohtani to ground out on a nearly identical pitch in Tuesday’s game. “That was my plan. Throw it over there and see if he’ll do the same thing as yesterday.” The home run came in the 41st plate appearance for the two-time AL MVP, who left the Angels after last season as a free agent and agreed to a record 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers. Ohtani’s home run, the 172nd of his major league career, put the Dodgers ahead 5-3. The two-way star is limited to hitting this year following elbow surgery in September. After the game, Ohtani met the fan who caught his home run ball. He gave the fan a ball, a bat and two hats in exchange. “Obviously, it’s a very special ball,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “A lot of feelings toward it. I’m very grateful that it’s back.” Marlins: RHP Eury Pérez will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the 2024 season, the team announced Thursday. Pérez had previously been diagnosed with mild inflammation after experiencing discomfort in his right elbow late in the spring. He met with Dr. Keith Meister, according to Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix, and surgery was not recommended then. Pérez made four spring training appearances but opened the season on the injured list. As of Tuesday, the team said he had been playing catch with the anticipation of progressing to a bullpen session soon. Bendix told reporters ahead of Thursday’s game against the Cardinals that the decision came after a second meeting with Dr. Meister. The 20-yearold Pérez debuted in May as the Marlins’ youngest starting pitcher. Over his first 11 major league starts, he had a 5-3 record with a 2.36 ERA and 61 strikeouts. The Marlins were careful with Pérez’s workload, managing his pitches and innings when he was first called up on May 12. He finished the 2023 season 5-6 with a 3.15 ERA over 91 ⅓ innings. Pérez’s injury adds to an already depleted rotation for the Marlins. Their ace Sandy Alcantara remains sidelined for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in October. RHP Edward Cabrera is on the IL with a right shoulder impingement but began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Jacksonville on March 31. LHP Braxton Garrett is also sidelined with a left shoulder impingement. The Marlins made the playoffs in 2023 but entered Thursday’s road game against the Cardinals 0-7 — their worst start to a season in franchise history.