On Thursday, Shohei Ohtani expressed gratitude to the sold-out Los Angeles crowd for their support. He reached base three times in the Dodgers’ 7-1 victory against St. Louis. Ohtani expressed gratitude for the cordial greeting he received in his first home game wearing a Dodgers uniform.
On a bright day at Chavez Ravine, the Japanese was introduced to a deafening ovation. He rewarded the supporters with a strong performance that included a single, double, and walk.
“I’m very grateful now to be part of the Dodgers and to be received by the Dodgers fans,” said Ohtani, who joined the club on a record 10-year $700 million contract from the Los Angeles Angels in the off-season.
“Obviously, I’ve been here before as an opponent player so it was a little bit intimidating, but I’m very grateful for the fans, and there were a lot of them.”
Involvement in a betting incident with his former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara didn’t deter Ohtani’s aggression in his first at-bat. He fouled off pitches and was thrown out while attempting to stretch a double into a triple.
The Dodgers’ blue-and-white-clad supporters applauded the hustle of their new designated hitter. When Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman both hit a home run in the third inning, the twice MVP was lifted.
“I was the only guy who couldn’t hit a homer but overall I thought I had a pretty good game today,” said Ohtani, who has said he was the victim of theft and denied any wrongdoing in the matter which is being investigated by MLB.
“Overall, I had quality at-bats.”
With six strong innings pitched, Tyler Glasnow helped the Dodgers win handily.
After three consecutive seasons with 100 wins resulting in disappointment, the Dodgers franchise is desperate to win a World Series. They have high hopes after going on a spending binge and signing Ohtani, along with right-handed pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Kyle Glasnow.
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