Giants Pitcher Has Hilarious Reaction to Giving Up Shohei Ohtani’s First Dodgers Home Run

It took nine games, but Shohei Ohtani finally hit his first home run as a member of the Dodgers. It couldn’t have come at a better time as well, giving Los Angeles a cushion toward the later parts of their game. His solo shot in the seventh inning made all the difference in their 5-4 win over the San Francisco Giants.

Hitting his first home run with the Dodgers against the Giants is fitting considering they were aggressive in trying to pursue him this offseason. Los Angeles beat out the Giants, among other teams, for the services of Ohtani this winter.

Ohtani hit the home run off Giants’ reliever Taylor Rogers, who knew it was gone the moment the ball hit the bat. Rogers was in good spirits despite giving up the home run, knowing that it was a special moment for everyone involved.

“I knew I was going to end up everywhere after it hit the bat,” Rogers said of his immediate reaction to Ohtani’s hit.

Per Taylor Rogers via The Athletic

Rogers hadn’t given up a home run to a left-hander hitter since May of 2021, so it was a rare occurrence. He threw Ohtani the same pitch in the game on Tuesday but was able to get the superstar to ground out.

Fans had been waiting for this moment since he signed on the dotted line. Now the hope is Ohtani can continue to build on this going forward.

“Honestly I’m very relieved that I was able to hit my first homer. It’s been a while,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “My swing hasn’t been great. So overall, very relieved.”

Per Shohei Ohtani via The Athletic

On the year, Ohtani has hit .270 with one home run and four runs batted in. But his presence has been apparent in the Dodgers lineup, helping them score at least five runs in all nine games they have played.

It was only a matter of time until Ohtani broke his home run drought and oftentimes throughout his career, he has shown the ability to hit many together in clumps. The Dodgers’ offense has been lethal so far this season with Ohtani struggling a little, so if he consistently gets going, the rest of the league better watch out.

Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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