Shohei Ohtani made his Los Angeles Dodgers debut on Tuesday in spring training. The moment has been highly-anticipated ever since Ohtani signed his 10-year, $700 million contract during the offseason.
Ohtani struck out in his first at-bat. He certainly made up for it later in the game, blasting a two-run home run in the fifth inning. So how did Ohtani look overall? Did anything specific stand out?
Shohei Ohtani's spring training debut
Ohtani went 1-3 with two RBI in the game. As aforementioned, he struck out in his first at-bat. Ohtani went down on three pitches, swinging twice and fouling one pitch off. He was clearly still getting adjusted in his first at-bat of the spring.
Ohtani's next AB came in the third inning. He technically drove in a run but didn't get credit for an RBI after grounding into a first-pitch double-play with runners on first and third. Still, he got the Dodgers on the board and the game was tied at one run apiece at the time.
Then Ohtani stepped up to the plate in the fifth inning and was looking to give the fans something to cheer about. Of course, Dodgers fans were just excited to see him in Dodger blue. Nevertheless, he looked more comfortable at the plate in the fifth inning.
After working a 2-1 count, Ohtani swung through the next delivery. He then took a pitch off the plate and ran things full. And that's when the fireworks happened.
Ohtani took a big swing on a 3-2 count and got under the pitch. He displayed his immense power, though, driving the ball to the opposite field and over the fence for a two-run home run.
Ohtani even admitted after he exited the game that he thought he hit the ball too high for it to get out. His power was on full display, though, and the fans immediately went into an uproar as the ball sailed over the left field fence.
One key takeaway
It's just one game and we can't overreact to anything. Ohtani could have gone 0-3 with three strikeouts and there would not have been any reason to worry.
What that being said, there was pressure on Ohtani to perform well. He wanted to start his Dodgers career on a high note and that's exactly what he did.
The primary takeaway from this game is that Ohtani has what it takes to step up in the big moments. He unfortunately did not receive many of those opportunities with the Los Angeles Angels since they consistently missed the playoffs while Ohtani was in Anaheim.
However, Ohtani proved that he could take care of business under the bright lights during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He led Team Japan to a victory and even struck out his then-Angels teammate Mike Trout to capture the championship.
So his homer on Tuesday is just another example of Ohtani getting the job done in a clutch moment. No, it obviously wasn't the same magnitude as a playoff game. But it does hint at even greater things to come.
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