Shohei Ohtani marked his reunion with the Angels with an absolute bombshell on Friday night when the Dodgers star hit a home run against his former team.
Ohtani spent the first six years of his MLB career with the Angels before signing a massive 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers this offseason.
And in his first meeting with his former team, the two-time MVP hit a 455-foot, two-run homer to center field to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning.
It is the Japanese slugger’s fifth home run in six games, of the 22 he has already had this season.
The 29-year-old has been hugely impressive for his new club, as he was batting .318 with a league-high 1.006 OPS heading into Friday night’s matchup.
Shohei Ohtani scored his first game against the Angels with a 455-foot bomb
However, the two-way star hasn’t even shown one side of his game this season, as his Tommy John surgery last offseason means he hasn’t pitched for the Dodgers yet.
He provided a positive update on his elbow recovery last month when he told reporters that he had started throwing from 60 feet (the normal length from the mound to home plate) and reached 80 mph.
“Just progressively increasing the distance,” Ohtani said through an interpreter, via ESPN.
‘Usually between 60 and 70 pitches, at that distance. Continue to increase distance and throws, and see where it goes. “I’m not really sure how far I’m going to go, but that’s the progression.”
More to follow.
