Los Angeles Dodgers' Megastar Shohei Ohtani Goes Viral For Prolific First Team Batting Practice
On Monday, Los Angeles Dodgers' megastar Shohei Ohtani took his first on-field batting practice as a member of the organization, and he certainly didn't disappoint.
In 21 swings, Ohtani hit 10 home runs. The video of his mammoth blasts went viral all over social media and can be seen below:
Per an MLB.com report on Ohtani's batting practice session:
Ohtani, who has drawn rave reviews from his teammates and executives about how meticulous he is with every swing, took pitches from J.T. Watkins as they simulated real at-bats. In the first round, Ohtani easily cleared the right-field fence on just his second swing of the session. Overall, the two-time American League Most Valuable player went through two rounds of batting practice. He took 21 swings overall, 10 of them for homers.
“I was planning on, like I said earlier, to swing on the lighter side,” Ohtani said. “But I felt like the swings were feeling really good, which is a really good sign. I think it’s trending towards me being ready for Opening Day.”
Ohtani is coming back from offseason elbow surgery on his throwing elbow, but again, he expects to be ready when the Dodgers open up the season on March 20 against the Padres in South Korea.
Ohtani is looking to follow up an incredible 2023 season in 2024. In his last year with the Los Angeles Angels, he hit an American League-best 44 home runs and won his second MVP Award. He also helped Team Japan win the World Baseball Classic championship.
Ohtani, 29, is already a three-time All-Star, a Rookie of the Year and a two-time Silver Slugger winner. He's a lifetime .274 hitter with 171 home runs.
He is a six-year veteran who has spent his entire career thus far with the Angels.
Because of the injury, Ohtani will spend this entire year at designated hitter for the Dodgers, who figure to be a World Series favorite.
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