The patience of Los Angeles Dodgers fans was rewarded Wednesday night, when their new favorite Shohei Ohtani finally hit his first home run in the blue and white uniform.
Acquired during the off-season, the signatory of a monster 10-year, $700 million contract broke the ice in his ninth game of the campaign and his 37th at-bat. In the bottom of the seventh inning of a duel against the San Francisco Giants, he sent a shot from left-handed gunner Taylor Rogers over the outfield fence at Dodger Stadium. His 430 ft cannon shot helped his team win 6 to 1.
“They knew it. He knew it.” pic.twitter.com/zkHa9kZ2wE
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 4, 2024
While his club is doing well with seven wins and two losses, Ohtani was happy to contribute more. Unable to take the mound in 2024 due to a ligament injury in his right elbow that required surgery, he is off to a modest start offensively as evidenced by his .270 plate average and four RBIs.
“Honestly, I’m relieved to have hit that first home run. It’s been a long time and to be honest, my momentum hasn’t been great. So, I’m happy overall,” he told MLB.com through an interpreter, Will Ireton.
Always act professional
Moreover, Ohtani’s entry into Los Angeles is not easy. The controversy surrounding the end of his association with his previous translator, Ippei Mizuhara, was a distraction he would have preferred to avoid. However, despite the history of debts and bets in which the fallen employee got entangled, the Japanese seems in good spirits.
“Until she goes through some adversity, whether it’s on the field or, in this case, off it, you never learn much about a person. I saw that he is unshakable. He really is, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. This may not be the production we expected […], but as far as his behavior goes, he shows up every day. He does adequate work to separate his tasks from everything else.”
Ohtani and his cohorts will return to action Friday against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
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2024-04-04 16:48:10
#Finally #circuit #Ohtani
