LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit a game-tying, three-run homer with two outs in the second inning of his highly anticipated playoff debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night.
After flying out in the first, the Japanese superstar sent a 2-1 pitch from Dylan Cease into right field, a 372-foot shot that had the crowd on its feet.
The Padres had taken a 3-0 lead in the first off Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Ohtani’s countryman who is also making his postseason debut in the National League Division Series.
Ohtani, who hit .310 in the regular season, scored Will Smith, who walked, and Gavin Lux, who singled, to make it 3-3.
Ohtani is getting his first chance on the October playoff stage after spending the last six years with the Los Angeles Angels, who never had a winning record or made the postseason during his tenure.
Ohtani signed a record $700 million, 10-year deal with the Dodgers in December. He didn’t pitch this season while rehabbing from a second elbow surgery he had a year ago. That allowed him to focus on his offense, and he exploded, becoming Major League Baseball’s first player with 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season.
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