GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani stepped into the bright Arizona sun, carrying the weight of a $700 million contract and the expectations that go with it, before launching a two-run homer in his first exhibition game for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Not a bad way to endear himself to his new legions of fans — not to mention his new team.
“I’m starting to learn really quickly, he’s built differently,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
Ohtani needed just three exhibition at-bats to show how he might impact the Dodgers lineup on Tuesday, working a full count in the fifth inning before an opposite-field shot off Dominic Leone that just cleared the left-field wall.
The Japanese slugger was hitless in his first two plate appearances, striking out on four pitches in the first inning and hitting a hard grounder into a double play in the third.