Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, center left, connects for a three-run home run off San Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) during the second inning in Game 1 of the baseball NL Division Series, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Los Angeles.
October 5, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) hits a home run against the San Diego Padres during game one of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium.
13:46 JST, October 6, 2024
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit a game-tying, three-run homer with two outs in the second inning of his highly anticipated playoff debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night.
After flying out in the first inning, the Japanese superstar sent a 2-1 pitch from Dylan Cease into right field, a 300-foot shot that had the sold-out crowd of 53,028 on its feet. The Dodgers earned a 7-5 victory over the team they battled to the wire before winning their 11th NL West title in 12 years.
Ohtani finished 2 for 5, with three RBIs, two runs scored and two strikeouts, as 88-year-old Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax watched from behind home plate.
The Padres had taken a 3-0 lead in the first inning off Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Ohtani’s compatriot who is also making his postseason debut in the National League Division Series.
Ohtani, who batted .310 in the regular season, scored Will Smith, who walked, and Gavin Lux, who singled, to make it 3-3.
San Diego took a 5-3 lead before the Dodgers rallied for three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Ohtani had a broken hit and later scored, along with Mookie Betts, on Teoscar Hernández’s single that gave the Dodgers their first lead, 6-5.
Ohtani will get his first shot at the playoff stage in October after spending the last six years with the Los Angeles Angels, who never had a winning record or made the postseason during his tenure.
Ohtani signed a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers in December. He did not pitch this season while rehabbing from a second elbow surgery he underwent a year ago. This allowed him to focus on his offense, and he exploded, becoming the first player in Major League Baseball with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season.
