Ohtani hits 2 homers for Dodgers in playoff opener against Reds

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Once again, Shohei Ohtani struck early in the postseason for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In his playoff debut a year ago, Ohtani hit a tying three-run homer in the second inning of the NL Division Series opener against San Diego. Los Angeles rallied for a 7-5 victory and went on to beat the New York Yankees in the World Series.

This year, he got busy even quicker.

Ohtani hit a leadoff homer in the first inning and a two-run drive in the sixth as the Dodgers went deep five times Tuesday night for a 10-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds in Game 1 of their NL Wild Card Series.

As usual, Ohtani appeared unruffled stepping into the white-hot spotlight on baseball's biggest stage.

“His focus gets more keen and the at-bat quality is better,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “That’s the reason why he signed to be with this ballclub, this organization, to play in games like this to showcase his other-worldly talent.”

Ohtani's 117.7 mph drive off a 100.4 mph fastball from Reds ace Hunter Greene in the first was the fastest pitch he's homered on in his major league career.

It was Ohtani’s 13th leadoff homer this year, giving the Dodgers a 1-0 lead as they opened defense of their 2024 World Series championship.

“It was a really hard pitch to hit, but I felt like I reacted pretty well,” Ohtani said through a translator. “I was happy I was able to help the team score early.”

His second homer — a 454-foot drive to right-center off reliever Connor Phillips — came with two outs in the sixth, extending the lead to 8-0. The three-time MVP also struck out three times.

Ohtani hit a career-high 55 homers during the regular season, one more than last year when the two-way superstar from Japan set the previous franchise record and became the first player in major league history with 50 homers and 50 stolen bases.

If the Wild Card Series goes to a deciding third game, Roberts has said Ohtani would “probably” start on the mound Thursday. If the Dodgers sweep the short series, Roberts said Ohtani would “probably” start either the first or second game of a best-of-five Division Series in Philadelphia.

Ohtani has yet to appear on the mound in the playoffs. He didn't pitch last year in his first season with the Dodgers while recovering from a second elbow surgery.

“I expect really fun things this postseason out of Shohei,” Roberts said.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB