Shohei Ohtani just showed everyone he’s still got it, crushing a home run in his first spring training at-bat with the Dodgers. And get this – he did it while still recovering from shoulder surgery.
The baseball superstar took a 3-2 pitch and sent it sailing over the opposite field wall, making it look easy.
It wasn’t a perfect at-bat – he actually whiffed on a curve from Yusei Kikuchi earlier in the count. But in classic Ohtani fashion, he got the last laugh.
If this feels like déjà vu, that’s because it is. He pulled off the exact same feat last spring, homering in his first at-bat then too.
But spring training heroics are just the tip of the iceberg for Ohtani. Last year’s numbers were absolutely ridiculous:
* .310 batting average
* 54 home runs
* 130 RBI
* 59 stolen bases
* A mind-boggling 9.2 WAR
Oh, and he finally got that World Series ring to go with his three MVP awards.
The $700 million man is still working his way back from two surgeries – one on his elbow that’ll keep him off the pitcher’s mound until May, and another on his non-throwing shoulder that had some fans worried about his hitting.
After today’s blast? Those hitting concerns just flew right out of the park.
