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Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer
LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani is finally on the board. The two-way star cranked his first home run as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night, a seventh-inning, 430-foot drive to right-center field that provided an insurance run against the rival San Francisco Giants and triggered a standing ovation from a sold-out Dodger Stadium crowd.
Ohtani, signed to a 10-year, $700 million contract in December, was struggling offensively in his early days with the Dodgers. He entered Wednesday — the final day of the Dodgers’ first homestand — with only a .242/.297/.333 slash line in his first eight games and was in the midst of the longest homerless drought to begin a season in his career.
Ohtani’s homer came on a sinker from left-handed submariner Taylor Rogers, a pitch Rogers did not allow a single home run against last season. It also marked Ohtani’s first home run in 14 career games against the Giants, his new team’s biggest rival. The only other teams Ohtani has yet to homer against also reside in the National League — the St. Louis Cardinals, Miami Marlins, Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies.
The Dodgers went on to win 5-4.