Shohei Ohtani of the Major League Baseball Dodgers participated in batting practice for the first time at a camp in Arizona, and the results showed how good his condition is ahead of his return to action, including hitting a big hit that went over the outfield fence. I showed it.
On the 19th, Ohtani took his first actual batting practice and took his third inning at bat in the presence of Manager Roberts, his teammates, and former Angels manager Nevin at a training camp in Glendale, Arizona.
His first at-bat was against Brazier, an intermediate pitcher who played professional baseball in Hiroshima in 2017, then transferred to the Dodgers midway through last season and pitched in 39 games.He never swung the bat and only saw five pitches. I was checking the trajectory.
In his next at-bat, when the pitcher was replaced, he heard a foul ball hit his right foot on the first pitch, but he didn't seem to be in any pain after that, and he whiffed on the fifth curveball and struck out.
Then, in his third and final at-bat, he faced a right-handed intermediate pitcher, and caught the sixth pitch, which came near the center of the field.
The ball hit a low trajectory and went over the outfield fence to the right of the back screen, causing a loud cheer from the assembled fans.
The Dodgers will have a day off from practice on the 20th, and after a practice day on the 21st, an open game is scheduled to begin on the 22nd.
Otani is expected to return to action at the beginning of next week.
A powerful liner that shows the dignity of the home run king.
It has been about 5 and a half months since Otani hit a ``live ball'' thrown by a major league pitcher since his last appearance last season against the Athletics on September 3, but it was due to surgery on his right elbow. He showed a powerful swing that didn't show any influence.
The ball was a powerful liner typical of Otani, and it went over the fence in right-center field, making it a turn at bat that fully demonstrated the dignity of the home run king.
Ohtani injured his right side during outdoor batting practice before a game on September 4 last year, and he did not play in a game after that, ending the season.
Five months have passed since he underwent surgery to repair the ligament in his right elbow on September 19th last year, and it is clear that he is still undergoing rehabilitation when seen wearing a supporter that covers a large area of his right arm while batting. However, in his turn at bat, he showed a powerful swing that didn't make you feel that way.
At that day's practice, Nez Valero, Otani's agent, appeared at the camp site for the first time, and former manager Nevin, who was the manager of the Angels until last season, also said that his son played in the Dodgers' minor league. I visited the campsite and watched Otani bat on the field.
Valero said, ``I came because Shohei contacted me to participate in live BP (actual batting practice).Today is an important day.''This day's practice is important for everyone involved as he prepares for his comeback. This suggests that it was a very important position.
There is only one month left until the opening match, which will be held in South Korea on the 20th of next month.
It's been more than 10 days since camp started, and it seems like Otani's adjustments have been left up to him so far, just as he did when he was with the Angels, but the intensity of his training has steadily increased in preparation for his return.
The opposing pitcher also takes his hat off: ``Oh, he's Shohei.''
Pitcher Feiereisen, who played against Ohtani and had his sixth pitch delivered to the side of the back screen, said, ``The moment he got hit, I thought, ``Oh, that's Shohei.'' It was fun to watch him swing and hit a home run from me," he said, hating off to Otani's batting.
``When Shohei was batting, everyone wanted to go see him.It was completely different from the actual pitching practice when I pitched before,'' he said, surprised by the amount of attention Otani received. ``My teammates told me, ``Get me a home run ball and get it autographed,'' he said with a smile while joking.
Agent: “Rehabilitation as a pitcher will start sometime in April”
Regarding Ohtani's future rehabilitation plans as a pitcher, Nez Valero, Otani's agent, said, ``Once we get the green light from the doctor and physical therapist in charge of rehabilitation, it will begin.It's still early, but... My prediction is that it will happen sometime in April after he returns from the opening series in Korea," he said, indicating that he won't start during camp.
``He won't be pitching this year, so there's no need to rush him, and he has plenty of time.As I've said before, I'm confident that he'll be able to return as a pitcher at the start of next year's season, and since the surgery, he's only 16. There's ~7 months left,'' he said.