Ohtani’s leadoff blast goes viral

Shohei Ohtani opened the Dodgers’ April 11 game with a first-inning home run, and Major League Baseball’s official highlight clip spread across social platforms over the weekend. (mlb.com) The shot came against Texas Rangers right-hander Jack Leiter at Dodger Stadium and tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the first inning. Major League Baseball listed the pitch as an 86.5 mile per hour slider, with Ohtani’s drive measured at 104.5 miles per hour off the bat and 390 feet. (mlb.com) Los Angeles beat Texas 6-3 that night, with Teoscar Hernández adding a three-run homer in the same first inning. The win pushed the Dodgers to 11-3, and ESPN’s recap called it their seventh victory in eight games. (espn.com) The homer also extended Ohtani’s regular-season on-base streak to 45 games. Major League Baseball said that moved him into sole possession of fifth place on the Dodgers’ all-time list since 1900, ahead of Len Koenecke and Zack Wheat. (mlb.com) One day earlier, on April 10, Ohtani had already passed Ichiro Suzuki for the longest on-base streak by a Japanese-born player in Major League Baseball history. Major League Baseball said that streak reached 44 games in the Dodgers’ April 10 win over Texas. (mlb.com) The viral clip landed in the middle of another fast start for Ohtani. ESPN’s season stats page listed him with five home runs, a.286 batting average, and a.996 on-base plus slugging percentage through 15 games entering April 13. (espn.com) The Dodgers came back on April 12 and Ohtani did it again, homering on the first pitch he saw from Jacob deGrom. Major League Baseball measured that drive at 108.3 miles per hour and 373 feet, and ESPN said it was Ohtani’s 26th career leadoff homer. (mlb.com) (espn.com) That second leadoff homer extended his on-base streak to 46 games even though the Dodgers lost 5-2 to the Rangers. By Monday, April 13, the weekend sequence had turned one highlight into a running storyline: Ohtani reaching base every night and changing games with his first swing. (espn.com) (mlb.com)