Shohei Ohtani’s Los Angeles Dodgers home career did not get off to the best start Thursday against the St. Louis Cardinals.
With Mookie Betts at first base, Ohtani ripped a double down the right field line in his first plate appearance at Dodger Stadium as a member of the Dodgers. However, he did not pay attention as he rounded the bases, as third base coach Dino Ebel held Betts at third. Ohtani did not notice and wound up caught between second and third, having clearly assumed that Betts would be waved home.
Shohei gets caught between second and third in his first Dodger Stadium at-bat pic.twitter.com/r22mxp1nxZ
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 28, 2024
That is a mental mistake by Ohtani, who wound up with a double but deprived the Dodgers of an opportunity to set up a big inning with second and third and nobody out. Despite that, the Dodgers wound up scoring two runs in the inning.
No, Ohtani probably was not distracted by his recent off-field drama. He may have had his sights set on a triple to make a big impression in his first home at bat. We probably will not see him make a mistake like this again anytime soon.
