LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani had come to the plate 40 times during his brief career with the Dodgers and had yet to hit a home run. He had yet to take the wind out of a stadium, only to hear it explode as a ball whizzed over a wall.
His swing. The crack of his bat. This sound has been heard many, many times. His home runs captivate a ballpark in a way that others simply cannot.
That homerless drought was starting to become uncomfortably long for a slugger who hit a home run every 13.6 plate appearances during his MVP campaign last season.
But his 430-foot shot at Dodger Stadium Wednesday night left no doubt. From the outset, it was instantly obvious that his early-season slump had ended. Reliever Taylor Rogers, knowing he had just made every highlight in America, could only look back helplessly toward right-center field.
The solo homer gave the Dodgers a two-run lead in the seventh inning against the San Francisco Giants and was the difference in a 5-4 Dodgers victory.
Shohei Ohtani hits his first home run as a Dodger 🔥
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“Honestly, I’m very relieved to have hit my first home run. It’s been a while,” Ohtani said through a translator. “My swing hasn’t been great. So overall, I’m very relieved.
Ohtani said he met the fan who caught the ball after the game. He handed over two caps, a bat and a different ball in exchange for the home run. It was a small price to pay for the memory of his first Dodgers home run.
“It’s a very special ball, one that brings up a lot of emotion,” Ohtani said. “I’m very grateful that it’s back.”
This home run ball will represent not only his first Dodgers home run, but also the stress and struggle it took to finally hit it. After making 171 shots during his tenure with the Los Angeles Angels, he was starting to feel like his inaugural shot with his new team might never happen.
Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged the natural pressure associated with the 10-year, $700 million free agent contract the 29-year-old superstar signed before this season. Home runs were a big part of the expectations assigned to him, and there could have been increasing pressure as that stat slipped away from him.
“There’s something in human nature to want to get a good start with the new team and obviously with the contract,” Roberts said after Ohtani’s home run. “But I think the most important thing is that we win baseball games. I think it’s something that eases the transition or the weight that you might be feeling.
A lot has weighed on Ohtani over the past month. The Dodgers fired his longtime friend and performer, Ippei Mizuhara, amid allegations that he stole from Ohtani at least $4.5 million to pay off his gambling debts. MLB is investigating the situation, all such as federal law enforcement entities.
Roberts said he didn’t see that impact on Ohtani. But he acknowledged it was possible the player put a good poker face on the situation. It’s unclear how much of a correlation there is between these circumstances and Ohtani’s paltry .631 OPS heading into Wednesday’s game.
“He’s basically treading water, just doing his thing,” Dodgers hitting coach Aaron Bates said. Athleticism Monday. “We are still learning. Obviously, as the games start to count and get more (real), the hitters change a little bit between spring training and the season. But his swing suits me right now.
Bates said he expects Ohtani to find more production as he becomes more familiar with pitchers in the NL West. Bates also said Ohtani’s process in the cage has remained consistent, keeping track of his exit velocities as a barometer of his success. This shot was thrown at 105.6 miles per hour. A frozen rope that went halfway up the right field bleachers.
Ohtani has always been streaky. He notably hit 15 home runs in June of last year. But he was also subject to weeks without this type of electricity. The timing of this crisis, however, was beginning to weigh on him.
“It was getting a little longer than I expected,” Ohtani said. “In these situations, it’s easy to become anxious. I was generally relieved.
The at-bat represented the last chance at Dodger Stadium before Los Angeles embarks on a six-game road trip to Chicago and Minnesota. Instead of seeing his first home run in a road game without an adoring fan base, he walked down the schneid in front of a fan base that supported him through a tough few weeks.
The home run also came against an unlikely opponent. Rogers, a left-hander, last gave up a long ball to another left-hander in May 2021. He said he got into a fastball count and threw Ohtani the same pitch that he had thrown at him the day before – a pellet. and outside. And the day before, Ohtani collapsed.
“I knew I was going to end up all over the place after I hit the bat,” Rogers said of his immediate reaction to Ohtani’s hit.
Before the match, Roberts was asked about Ohtani, as he usually does. “It’s still in its infancy,” said the skipper. “But sometimes all it takes is one shot.”
The comment raises an interesting question for the slugger. The story of his season was one of an uncomfortable struggle. Suddenly he changed it. At least temporarily. So now that he has his first, what happens next?
Because when it comes to Ohtani, one home run often means another one isn’t far behind.
Fabian Ardaya and Andrew Baggarly contributed to this report.
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(Photo: Gary A. Vasquez / USA Today)