9781422269831

First Career Home Run A new player always wants to make a good impression the first time they come to the plate in front of the home crowd. Ohtani certainly did that in his first game in Los Angeles against Cleveland. He stepped into the batter’s box in a pressure-packed situation — bottom of the first inning in a 2-2 ball game with the bases loaded and two outs. The at-bat took a turn when Josh Tomlin, Cleveland’s pitcher, uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Kole Calhoun to score from third and the other runners to advance. That didn’t matter much, however. After working the count to 2-2, Ohtani launched a shot that cleared the right-centerfield wall and found the seats for a three-run home run (HR). His whirlwind of an at-bat didn’t end there

as Ohtani’s teammates gave him the so-called “silent treatment” until he bear-hugged Ian Kinsler from behind and was subsequently mobbed in celebration. He was even ushered back out of the dugout to give the fans a tip of the helmet.

Ohtani hits a three-run homer in his first home at-bat.

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Chapter 1: Greatest Moments

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