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Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is on international duty with Team Japan, though he is still performing jaw-dropping feats.
In the first game of Japan’s pool play, Ohtani stepped up into the batter’s box to lead off for Japan against Chinese Taipei.
His first at-bat produced a 117 MPH double that was absolutely smoked off the barrel of his bat.
Ohtani followed that up with a second-inning bases-loaded grand slam on an offspeed pitch out of the zone. It was by no means an easy pitch to drive, but he powered it over the wall to get Japan on the board.
Japan was playing against Taipei at home in the Tokyo Dome, and Ohtani took in the scene as he ran the base path as the stadium totally erupted.
The home run travelled a total of 368 feet and had an exit velocity of 102.4 mph, making it quite the feat for the slugger.
The grand slam started a 10-run inning for Japan, which was capped off by another RBI from Ohtani via a line-drive single.
Ohtani, not pitching due to his agreement with the Dodgers over his usage, has only hitting to focus on, something that he did not have the luxury of during the 2023 WBC.
With his bat as his only weapon on the field, Ohtani has the ability and platform to really put on a worldwide showcase of his hitting.
He wasted no time on Friday’s WBC debut to do so.
Shohei Ohtani’s WBC Goals
Ohtani is looking to help Japan defend its title and go back-to-back, like he has done with the Dodgers over the last two years.
There was no doubt in his mind that he wanted to compete.
“I think players like to practice in general, and if you feel like you can, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t,” Ohtani said.
“But in the spring, most players are not 100 per cent and will have a hard time hitting peak form, so I think it’s important to have the courage to rest or sit it out.
“But it’s up to each and every player to decide what you do or don’t do. And, like I said earlier, this is a group made up of pro’s pros.
“Everyone clearly understands what he has to do, and I really think we have a wonderful group of guys together.”
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