After six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, Shohei Ohtani made the move to the Los Angeles Dodgers this past offseason, signing a massive free agent contract to move across town. That decision paid off, as Ohtani became the first 50/50 player in MLB history, belting 54 home runs and swiping 59 bases, as he took the season off from pitching due to his elbow injury and focused on life at the plate.
Shohei Ohtani homered in his first playoff game, because of course
Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani did not wait long to hit his first playoff home run
Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.
That move also saw Ohtani reach the playoffs for the first time in his career, and the slugger saw his first taste of postseason action on Saturday night as the Dodgers hosted the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of the NLDS. Ohtani flew out to left in his first at-bat, in the bottom of the first inning.
His second trip to the plate, however, was vintage Ohtani.
With the Dodgers trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the second Ohtani came to the dish with two outs and a pair of runners on base. With the count in his favor 2-1, Ohtani got a 97-mph fastball up in the zone from Dylan Cease, and managed to turn his hands on it:
Ohtani knew it was gone right off the bat, and showed some emotion, tossing his bat to the side and screaming as the ball carried over the fence in right field:
If his second at-bat in the postseason is any indication, playoff Ohtani might be just as fun — if not more — than regular-season Ohtani.
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