Shohei Ohtani is a Los Angeles Dodger.
Those present at Shohei Ohtani’s spring debut with the Dodgers on Tuesday witnessed a memorable moment in his final plate appearance. Ohtani hit a towering two-run homer beyond the wall in left field to the delight of all Dodger fans.
The homer came in the bottom of the fifth inning, with Ohtani connecting on a 3-2 pitch delivered by Chicago White Sox right-hander Dominic Leone. Despite finishing 1-for-3 at the plate — strikeout and a double play in his other ABs — Ohtani’s home run undoubtedly stole the spotlight.
“I thought I hit it a little too high initially, but the Arizona weather factored in a little bit,” Ohtani said afterward through his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. “I felt better each time I came up. It’s trending in the right direction.”
Occupying the second spot in the Dodgers’ lineup sandwiched between Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, Ohtani struck out looking in his first AB against lefty Garrett Crochet. In the third inning, he made solid contact but hit into a hard double play.
“With Shohei — I’m starting to learn really quickly — he’s built differently,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He took some really good swings.”
Prior to the game, eager fans gathered along the third-base line to catch a glimpse of Ohtani as he made his way to the field. The eruption of cheers and applause from the 6,678 attendees echoed through the stadium as Ohtani’s home run brought the crowd to their feet in celebration.
“I definitely felt the energy of the crowd and the fans,” he said. “I really appreciate it. I’m really happy I was able to make it back on time and play in front of the fans.”
