Shohei Ohtani Records Two Hits, One RBI in Dodgers Debut on Opening Day
The moment that baseball fans across the globe have been waiting for has finally arrived: Shohei Ohtani’s regular-season debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Opening Day began Wednesday in South Korea for the Dodgers and San Diego Padres as part of Major League Baseball’s Seoul series. Ohtani was, of course, the main attraction in Game 1 of the two-game set, with first pitch flying as most were asleep back in North America.
The Japanese superstar delivered a quality performance in front of an electric crowd, going 2-for-5 with a run batted in and a stolen base. He helped cement an eighth-inning comeback for his new club that paved the way for a 5-2 victory over their NL West Division rival.
Ohtani grounded into a fielder’s choice during his first at-bat as a Dodger, hitting a weakly-hit ball to Padres shortstop and former KBO superstar Ha-Seong Kim. But he recorded his first of two hits in the game his next time up, blasting a 112.3-mph laser into right field for a single.
That base hit came off the 29-year-old’s fellow countryman, right-handed starter Yu Darvish, who faced the two-way phenom for the first time in his career during Wednesday’s opener. Afterwards, the Dodgers DH swiped second base a few pitches later with Freddie Freeman at the dish.
Surprisingly, Los Angeles’ fearsome lineup couldn’t produce more than one run across the first seven innings. But they finally awoke in the top half of the eighth, scoring four runs – one of which was driven home by another Ohtani single – as eight batters came to the plate in the frame.
It was an impressive debut for the two-time American League MVP winner, appearing in his first meaningful game since inking a record-shattering 10-year, $700-million contract with the Dodgers last December. He agreed to defer $680 million to 2034-43.
The left-handed slugger appeared in eight Cactus League games before the team departed for South Korea, hitting .500 as he went 11-for-22 while posting two home runs and nine RBIs. He also earned four walks, striking out seven times.
Ohtani will not pitch in 2024 after undergoing elbow surgery prior to the end of last season to repair a torn UCL in his right arm. The procedure was said to be “completely different” from his 2018 Tommy John surgery.
If all goes well with his recovery, the three-time All-Star hopes to return to the mound in 2025, preferably as a starting pitcher. But there’s a chance he could play in the outfield this season, depending on how his arm responds to his throwing program.
Before signing with the Dodgers, Ohtani spent his first six seasons stateside in Orange County with the Angels. Despite racking up waves of individual accolades, including two Silver Slugger Awards and a 2018 AL Rookie of the Year trophy, he has never appeared in the postseason.
Even with a roster centred around Ohtani and Mike Trout, a pair of generational talents, the franchise couldn’t snap its current nine-year playoff drought, with its most recent appearance dating back to 2014.
Despite finishing last season on the IL, Ohtani dominated at the plate, slashing .304/.412/.654 with an AL-best 44 home runs, 95 RBIs and a 180 wRC+ over 135 games, worth a career-high 6.6 fWAR. As a pitcher, he made 23 starts, recording a 3.14 ERA and 4.00 FIP while racking up 167 strikeouts over 132 innings, earning a 2.4 fWAR rating.
The Dodgers-Padres two-game series will conclude Thursday, a showdown that will see Yoshinobu Yamamoto face off against Joe Musgrove in his highly-anticipated MLB debut.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: 駐日アメリカ合衆国大使館. This image is a work of a United States Department of State employee, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain per 17 U.S.C. § 101 and § 105 and the Department Copyright Information.