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Shohei Ohtani Crushed Ball Out of Dodger Stadium in Rare Batting Practice Session

Ohtani may be struggling at the plate this postseason but this long batting practice home run off the roof was a welcome sight.

Tim Capurso

Ohtani rarely takes batting practice but put on a show on Wednesday.
Ohtani rarely takes batting practice but put on a show on Wednesday. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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Shohei Ohtani might not be performing up to his lofty standards at the dish thus far for the Dodgers this postseason, but there was a welcome—and rare—sight at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night.

For the first time since March, Ohtani was out on the field taking batting practice, and the Dodgers star not only got some extra hacks in, but put on a show in the process.

Ohtani's batting practice session got off to a slow start, to the amusement of his Dodgers teammates.

But it's not how you start, it's how you finish. And on one of Ohtani's last BP swings, he crushed a ball out of Dodger Stadium. The home run caromed off the top of the roof in the pavilion section en route to traveling all the way out of the park.

Even though it came in a practice session, the homer had to be a good sight for the Dodgers, given that Ohtani hasn't gone yard since Game 1 of the wild-card round against the Reds, when he belted two homers. The presumptive 2025 National League MVP has struck out 12 times in his last 25 at-bats, collecting just a pair of hits in that span as the likes of the Phillies and Brewers have been determined to either attack Ohtani with a steady diet of breaking balls or not let him beat them by intentionally walking the slugger.

Perhaps a return to Dodger Stadium, as evidenced by one batting practice swing, will be good for Ohtani. Game 3 of the NLDS is set for Thursday at 6:08 p.m. ET.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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