Shohei Ohtani slugs his first home run of spring training

Shohei Ohtani is on the board in spring training.

Ohtani delivered his first home run of spring training when he led off the bottom of the first inning of his Los Angeles Dodgers’ game against the Los Angeles Angels with a solo home run on Friday night. Ohtani went deep to the opposite field off southpaw Yusei Kikuchi at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz. That also gave Ohtani his first run batted in this spring.

Shohei Ohtani's first at-bat of #SpringTraining …

Shohei Ohtani's first HOME RUN of Spring Training! pic.twitter.com/k1fScI5BrD
— MLB (@MLB) March 1, 2025

That was a nice way for Ohtani to get on the board. Going opposite field for a dinger is never easy, even when you’re swinging at a fastball down the middle in spring training.

Ohtani is coming off a season where he set a career high with 54 home runs. He’ll be hard pressed to match that total, especially since he has plans to return to the mound.

The two-way star amazingly has slugged 225 home runs in his MLB career. He had 46 homers in 2021 and 44 homers in 2023, both with the Angels, and while doing double duties. Ohtani is expected to return to the mound in May.

Fans also appreciated the bat flip Ohtani did after his home run off Kikuchi.