LOS ANGELES — When the Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani this winter, all they could envision was watching him hit mammoth home runs at Dodger Stadium for the next decade.
It took longer than expected, as Ohtani was held relatively quiet through his first 36 at-bats of the season. But it was finally Sho-time at Dodger Stadium in Wednesday’s 5-4 win over the Giants, as Ohtani broke the home run seal by launching a long and loud homer off left-hander Taylor Rogers in the seventh inning against the Giants.
Ohtani’s homer off Rogers had an exit velocity of 105.6 mph and it traveled a projected 430 feet. Rogers hadn’t surrendered a homer to a left-handed hitter since May 2021.
In his first season with the Dodgers after signing a record 10-year, $700 million deal this offseason, Ohtani has gotten off to a slow start at the plate. Ohtani said he’s still working through his mechanics, particularly his timing. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts echoed Ohtani’s comments, but added that he believes it’ll all click for Ohtani once he gets off one of his trademark swings.
The long blast into the right-field bleachers certainly qualifies as one of Ohtani’s best swings. It’s the first of many in a Dodgers uniform, and it was worth the wait for the sold-out crowd at Dodger Stadium.