Otani. AP = Yonhap News
As Shohei Otani (LA Dodgers), wearing blue shorts and a cap, sent a batted ball flying over the outfield fence, exclamations of exclamation continued to pour in.
Otani showed his strength in his first free bet in 161 days.
AP = Yonhap News
Ohtani completed outdoor batting practice at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, USA on the 13th (Korea time). 161 days have passed since he last had outdoor batting training. Ohtani continued to play as a batter after suffering an elbow injury on the mound last August, but later complained of pain in his right side. In the end, the game against the Oakland Athletics on September 4th was his last appearance as a hitter. After that, he went to the operating table and had Tommy John surgery (elbow ligament surgery) and was out for the season.
Ohtani showed 21 swings on this day and produced 10 home runs.
AP = Yonhap News
It was natural that attention was focused on his first batting training after signing a 10-year contract worth a total of $700 million (KRW 930.3 billion), the highest in professional sports, in December last year and moving to the Dodgers.
On this day, the Dodgers released Ohtani’s outdoor batting practice on the club’s social media. A camera was placed in the catcher’s position to clearly convey the sight of batted balls flying into the outfield. Along with the video, the Dodgers wrote, “Wow, Shohei Ohtani.”
Photo = catch GAA Dodgers LA
MLB.com submitted, “Ohtani showed off his power in his first outdoor batting practice since moving to the Dodgers.”
Ohtani sent the batted ball off the right-field wall on his second swing of the day. Japan’s Nikkan Sports submitted, “In particular, the last two balls that used 90% power were very big balls with a distance of 140m.” United States Athletic reported, “The velocity of the last home run was up to 109 miles per hour (175.4 km per hour),” and “some hits were recorded over 100 miles per hour (161 km per hour).”
It is rare to produce such batting distance and speed in the first outdoor batting practice of spring camp. This is a part where you can get a glimpse of Otani’s incredible power.
AP = Yonhap News
On Ohtani’s batting video released by the Dodgers, comments were made, such as “Big swing,” “He’s like a rocket,” and “Ohtani is already done preparing for the season.” Ohtani’s at-bat video was also first in real time on ESPN and Yahoo Sports.
Dodgers hitting coach Van Scoyoc was surprised, saying, “I could see the batted ball fly very far and very fast,” and “It showed Ohtani’s explosive power.”
AP = Yonhap News
After pre-batting, Ohtani said, “I felt good. The quality of the batted ball was also good.” Regarding the condition of his side, he said, “This is the first time since the injury that I have actually hit it outside. Fortunately, there is no pain in my side at all.”
As a result, the possibility of Ohtani participating in the Seoul Series increases.
The Dodgers will host the ‘Seoul Series Opener’ against the San Diego Padres at Gocheok Dome in Seoul on March 20th and 21st.
Ohtani, who previously said, “I’m confident I’ll participate in the opener,” responded positively after completing training that day, saying, “I think it’s a good sign for me to prepare for the season opener.”
Reporter Lee Hyeong-seok ops5@edaily.co.kr
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