The Japanese star Shohei ohtani showed off his incredible power when he returned to Tokyo Dome on Saturday night.
The exhibition game against Yomiuri Giants is 3 times MVP I belted homer with two runs He headed to the right field in the three innings to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 4-0 lead, drawing roars from around 42,000 fans in attendance.
“He always seems to be standing up on certain occasions and expects to perform,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “One more, he delivered.”
Otani led the game on a walk and came to bat for the second time in three innings. He didn’t get the best swing on the ball, but the 6-foot-4, 210-pound slugger was able to fire the slider from Yomiuri’s Shosei Togo 391 feet.
The 30-year-old has been removed for just four and a half hours from surgery on his left (unadministered) shoulder, but he is recovering very quickly. His big swing at Tokyo Dome is another indication that he feels good about heading into his eighth big league season.
“I was out a while ago, but I thought it was going outside on a good angle and it would be a home run,” Otani said through the translation.
The Dodgers featured the third significant power display to bring Michael Comfort, Otani and Tescal Hernandez all in deeper and give Los Angeles a 5-0 advantage. Conforto said it was great to go deep into his first batting, but the conversation quickly switched to Ohtani.
“It’s really amazing,” Comfort said. “In every big moment, he seems to be doing what the fans want to do with him.”
Los Angeles defeated Yomiuri 5-1.
The Dodgers perform in Japan as part of the Tokyo Series. The team is playing two exhibit games with the Japanese team before starting the regular season in two games with the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In 2024, Otani became the first player in MLB history to have at least 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in one season. He played several seasons for the Japanese Nippon Ham fighter jet before coming to the US with the Los Angeles Angels in 2018.
