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MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani was seen eliminating baseballs in a recent video posted by the Los Angeles Dodgers’ social media account. The recently signed pitcher/slugger flexed his muscle in his first batting practice session with his new club.
And he didn’t disappoint! Ohtani belted incoming deliveries swing after swing, sending those pitches sailing into the stadium seats.
The team is in Glendale ramping up its offseason training at Camelback Ranch in Arizona. A highly anticipated appearance for Ohtani, it represented his first official BP session since a 2023 elbow surgery.
It doesn’t look like he’s missed a beat!
Ohtani took 21 cuts at the dish, reportedly smacking 10 home runs for a rate just under 50%!
Some of those long balls were even caught by media members lurking beyond the outfield fence in hopes of grabbing a shot of the Dodgers’ new crown jewel – and they couldn’t have been happier to secure the souvenir.
“This is the ball from Shohei?!” a reporter asked. “Shohei’s Home Run!”
@dodgers When you catch a Shohei Ohtani homer during batting practice. 😲 #dodgers #sports #losangeles #wow ♬ original sound – Los Angeles Dodgers
The POV video of Shohei Ohtani’s BP session is even more impressive
Watching along from the catcher’s point of view, those moonshots just disappear into the Arizona skyline. Coming off the bat at incredible velocity, the line drives seem to hang in the air as if they’re gliding on a string.
@dodgers Wow, Shohei. 😳 #dodgers #sports #losangeles #pov ♬ original sound – Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers are working Ohtani back into baseball form following that 2023 elbow procedure. While he’s unlikely to pitch in the coming year, he’s proven to be more than capable in the batter’s box after leading the American League in homers last season.
If he’s able to offer that kind of pop at the plate this summer, he should more than live up to that record-setting $700M price tag.
There’s no more satisfying sound in sports than a bat making solid contact with a baseball, and we now know there’s no better player to watch do it than Shohei Ohtani!