Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani reacts to his first home run this spring
It didn’t take very long for Shohei Ohtani to make an impact for the Dodgers. In his first Cactus League game, 6,678 fans watched Ohtani mash a two-run homer opposite field in this third at-bat.
"I definitely felt the energy of the crowd and the fans," Ohtani said through his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. "I really appreciate it. I'm really happy I was able to make it back on time and play in front of the fans."
Up until eight days ago, Ohtani hadn’t faced live batting practice until last September. The Japanese sensation lived up to the hype crushing a home run, allowing fans to marvel at why the hype around him is real.
"I thought I hit it a little too high initially, but the Arizona weather factored in a little bit," Ohtani said. "I felt better each time I came up. It's trending in the right direction."
Ohtani did not play in any of the Dodgers’ first five exhibition games as he continued to recovery from elbow surgery that ended his 2023 season.
"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 signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in December, kicking off the most anticipated free agent signing in franchise history.
