Shohei Ohtani’s leadoff homer goes viral

Shohei Ohtani opened the Dodgers’ April 11 game against Texas with a leadoff home run, and the clip spread across social feeds within hours. (mlb.com) Major League Baseball’s official video lists the swing as Ohtani’s fourth homer of 2026: a 390-foot drive to right field off an 86.5 mile-per-hour slider from Rangers starter Jack Leiter. (mlb.com) The homer tied the game at 1-1 in the first inning, and Teoscar Hernández followed later in the frame with a three-run shot in the Dodgers’ 6-3 win at Dodger Stadium. Emmet Sheehan worked six innings, and the crowd was announced at 53,617. (apnews.com) (espn.com) The swing also pushed Ohtani’s on-base streak to 45 consecutive regular-season games. Major League Baseball said that moved him into sole possession of fifth place on the Dodgers’ franchise list since 1900. (mlb.com) Two days earlier, on April 8, Ohtani had tied Ichiro Suzuki’s 43-game mark for the longest on-base streak by a Japanese-born player in Major League Baseball. By April 11, he had moved beyond that record and kept the majors’ longest active streak alive. (mlb.com 1) (mlb.com 2) The homer landed during a fast start for Los Angeles. The Dodgers improved to 11-3, and the Associated Press called it their seventh win in eight games and the best record in the majors at that point. (apnews.com) Leadoff home runs are already a familiar part of Ohtani’s resume. Major League Baseball said the April 11 blast was the 25th leadoff homer of his career. (mlb.com) That history helps explain why a 28-second highlight can travel so quickly: it was not just one swing, but another entry in a season opening stretch that has mixed home runs, an active on-base streak, and Ohtani’s return to pitching. (mlb.com 1) (mlb.com 2) By the end of Saturday night, the Dodgers had a win, Ohtani had another first-inning signature moment, and one more short video had become part of his regular-season record chase. (apnews.com) (mlb.com)