The L.A. Ohtani era has officially begun.
Shohei Ohtani just hit a monster opposite field home run during his Dodgers debut, plating two runs in his third at-bat in Dodgers blue during a Tuesday spring training game against the Chicago White Sox.
After striking out in his first at-bat and grounding into a double play in his second, Ohtani blasted a full count pitch from the White Sox’s Dominic Leone over the left field fence and onto the terrace where a gaggle of elated Dodgers fans scrambled to collect the souvenir.
Shohei Ohtani homers in his @Dodgers #SpringTraining debut. 💥💥 pic.twitter.com/o6vMUHKUR4
— MLB (@MLB) February 27, 2024
While it was just spring training and the games are obviously meaningless, this video is going to be replayed across every news broadcast in Japan for the next 24 hours and will be plastered all over MLB Network and ESPN. (RELATED: Shohei Ohtani’s Contract Is Patently Absurd)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – FEBRUARY 27: Shohei Ohtani #17 celebrates with Freddie Freeman #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers after hitting a two-run home run in the fifth inning inning during a game against the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch on February 27, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Ohtani is arguably the biggest, most hyped-up star the MLB has ever had. And the MLB is desperate for stars. While Ohtani’s former Angels teammate Mike Trout long held the crown as baseball’s golden boy before Ohtani, the MLB had little success in marketing the centerfielder to make him pop outside the sport (mostly because they never really tried).
ANAHEIM, CA – AUGUST 27: Brian McCann #16 of the Houston Astros hits a three RBI triple past a leaping Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the eighth inning of the game on August 27, 2017 in Anaheim, California. Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images
A 2018 Washington Post analysis found that Trout was as recognizable to Americans as Kenneth Faried, a marginally well-known bench player for the Brooklyn Nets at the time.
Ohtani, meanwhile, is a global sensation.
And while this was his first home run for the Dodgers, it certainly won’t be his last.