Ohtani homers on first pitch

Shohei Ohtani needed one pitch to put the Dodgers ahead, opening the April 13 game against Texas with a leadoff home run off Jacob deGrom. (mlb.com) The ball left Ohtani’s bat on the first pitch of the bottom of the first inning at Dodger Stadium, and it was his second straight leadoff homer. Texas still won 5-2 to avoid a three-game sweep. (apnews.com) Major League Baseball said Ohtani had also led off with a home run the previous day, making this the second straight game he started the Dodgers’ first inning with one swing. The April 13 blast came against deGrom, who was making his first regular-season start at Dodger Stadium as a Ranger. (mlb.com) (apnews.com) That kind of swing lands differently with Ohtani because he is not just the Dodgers’ designated hitter. Baseball Savant lists him as a two-way player, and his 2024 season ended with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases, the first 50-50 season in Major League Baseball history. (baseballsavant.mlb.com) (mlb.com) The quick-hit highlight also fit a pattern in Ohtani’s recent production. Baseball Savant’s current 2026 page shows a.996 on-base plus slugging percentage through the opening weeks, after he posted a 1.014 mark in 2025. (baseballsavant.mlb.com) Ohtani has made first-pitch damage a recurring part of his highlight reel. On May 26, 2025, he opened a game in Cleveland by turning a 96.5 mile-per-hour fastball from Gavin Williams into a 115 mile-per-hour leadoff homer in a 7-2 Dodgers win. (mlb.com) (baseball-reference.com) The latest clip spread fast because it compressed the whole Ohtani package into a few seconds: deGrom on the mound, first pitch, first batter, instant run. By the time the Dodgers settled into the game, the at-bat had already become the moment people were passing around. (mlb.com)