Shohei Ohtani slams HR in first at-bat off Yusei Kikuchi

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Shohei Ohtani wastes no time, crushing a 94-mph fastball from left-hander Yusei Kikuchi in his first at-bat this spring against his former team, the Los Angeles Angels, on Friday night.

Ohtani, 30, is coming back from left shoulder surgery this offseason and showed no difficulty swinging the bat, as he hit a home run over the left field wall. This isn’t the first time Kikuchi and Ohtani have faced each other; they share a unique connection, having both attended Hanamaki Higashi High School in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.

The lights shone brightly as every fan at Camelback Ranch held up their cell phones, capturing the moment between Kikuchi and Ohtani. This game was being broadcast live in Japan, fueling excitement for Ohtani’s return to the field. On a full-count pitch from Kikuchi, both players were aware that all of Japan was watching, including their former coach, Hiroshi Sasaki, who had coached them during their time at Hanamaki Higashi High School.

"Regardless of the results, I think the biggest takeaway was being able to go through my three at-bats without any issues," Ohtani said. "Physically felt really good."

Ohtani has made some minor adjustments to his swing this season and talks about finding the ability to work on it during spring training games. 

"It's a constant feedback between how I feel and how the swing actually looks," Ohtani said.

Kikuchi was three years ahead of Ohtani while they attended the same school, so Ohtani certainly knew who Kikuchi was as he began his own baseball career. Ohtani has always looked up to Kikuchi, and they faced each other in many matchups while Ohtani played for the Los Angeles Angels and Kikuchi pitched for the Seattle Mariners. Ohtani was asked how he can hit a home run off his friend who attended the same high school.

"Just unlucky," Ohtani said.

Ohtani went one for three, hitting a solo home run, making a fly ball out, and striking out in his final at-bat. He will take the day off on Saturday but is expected to return to the lineup on Sunday, according to Roberts. Freddie Freeman is also anticipated to be back in the lineup after making his spring debut on Thursday as the DH. Freeman is expected to DH on Saturday after not playing on Friday.

With two weeks remaining in spring training before heading to Japan to open the season against the Chicago Cubs, Ohtani expressed that he would like to have 50 at-bats prior to opening day.

Will Smith made his spring debut as a catcher for the Dodgers with Dustin May on the mound. Smith went 0-for-3 at the plate and struck out twice as he continues to recover from his ankle injury. May started strong with a scoreless first inning but ran into trouble in the second. He allowed the bases to become loaded, partly due to an error by Max Muncy.

Angels’ Jo Adell crushed a grand slam off May, which was the only hit given up by May in the game. 

The future looks promising for the Dodgers as Dalton Rushing stepped up to fill in at DH in place of Ohtani. Rushing went 2-for-2 at the plate and ended the game with a walk-off double that sailed down the third baseline. This clutch hit secured a hard-fought 6-5 victory for the Dodgers, showcasing Rushing's potential to excel in high-pressure situations. Earlier in the week, Dave Roberts mentioned that he expects Rushing to make the jump to the big leagues sometime this season.