Dodgers News: Ohtani hits grand slam as Japan dismantles Chinese Taipei
Ohtani, Yamamoto get Samurai Japan off to impressive start in WBC opener
TOKYO, JAPAN — Because of course he did. Shohei Ohtani, long known for “meeting the moment,” met another one on Friday at the Tokyo Dome. First, he ripped a double on the first pitch of the game, but that wasn’t even the coolest part. The unicorn had a whole lot more to show Japanese fans before the game was over.
A Grand Start to the Evening
Ohtani’s big moment (and Team Japan’s, for that matter) came in the top of the second inning. Even though the game was in Tokyo, Samurai Japan was the “visiting” team, so they hit first in the inning. And as fate would have it, they loaded up the bases for you-know-who.
With one out in the inning, Shohei dug in with the bases juiced with Samurai. There was a bit of a funky strike zone early in the count, where one ball was called a strike and another strike was called a ball, but eventually, Ohtani got ahead in the count 2-1. Pitcher Hao-Chun Cheng tried to fool Shohei with a curveball, but Ohtani was all over it, drilling the pitch into the right field stands for a grand slam.
Samurai Japan Pours it On
Not only was Shohei not done in the game, he wasn’t even done in that inning. After his grand slam, Samurai Japan batted around, and Ohtani was up a second time in the second. With runners at the corners and two outs, Shohei ripped a solid single through the right side for his third hit (and fifth RBI) of the evening. The Japanese were up 10-0 and the rout was in full force.
Yamamoto’s Scoreless Outing
Of course, Shohei Ohtani was not the only Dodger participating in this game. World Series hero Yoshinobu Yamamoto was the starting pitcher, and while his outing won’t grab the headlines, he did what he needed to do for Team Japan (with a little help).
Early on in this one, Yamamoto had his groundball pitch working. In the first, he got two groundouts, sandwiched around a strikeout of Guardians farmhand Stuart Fairchild. Then, in the second, Yama walked the leadoff man, but the runner was erased on an around-the-horn double play. One more groundout and he was out of the inning.
However, Yamamoto ran into a bit of trouble in the third, not all of his own doing. The inning started well enough, a harmless grounder to short for the first out. But, the next hitter, Lyle Lin, hit a groundball to third that third baseman Kazuma Okamoto fielded cleanly, but the new member of the Blue Jays couldn’t make a good throw across the diamond, and Lin was safe at first.
Approaching 50 pitches, Yamamoto started to falter a bit with his command. He got a strikeout, but then walked the next two Taiwanese hitters, and without the benefit of a hit, Chinese Taipei had loaded up the bases. Visibly frustrated, Yamamoto knew that meant the end of his night. He was lifted for a reliever, who promptly struck out the next batter, preserving a clean line for Yoshi. Yamamoto’s final numbers for the night: 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K. Perfectionist that he is, he’s sure not to be happy with the outing, but for early March, it was pretty damn good.
Ohtani Cycle Watch
With the Samurai now leading 13-0, the only drama remaining was the question of whether or not Shohei would hit for the cycle. A double in the first, the grand slam and single in the second put him just a triple shy of the mystical stat.
In his next at-bat, he got a good rip at a pitch, but ended up lining out to first. And that was the end of Ohtani’s night. Chinese Taipei tightened up their pitching a bit, and by the time Team Japan got back to the top of the order, it was the seventh inning. Manager Hirokazu Ibata decided to give Shohei the rest of the night off, much to the dismay of fans hoping for a cycle.
However, not a bad start to Ohtani’s WBC: 3-for-4, grand slam home run, double, single, 5 RBI. Funny thing is, it’s probably not even in the top 10 of all-time great games for Ohtani, but it was plenty good just the same.
Because WBC rules allow for “mercy rules,” the game was called after the seventh inning. Final score: Samurai Japan 13, Chinese Taipei 0.
Next Up: Korea
In other WBC news from Pool C, Australia won its second game of the tournament, beating Czechia 5-1 in the early game from Tokyo. That puts them well positioned to make a serious play for being the second to team to come out of the bracket. For the prohibitive favorite Japan, it’s a match-up with Hyeseong Kim and Team Korea on Saturday. Same ridiculous 2:00 am PST start time. Set those alarms, Dodger fans, Shohei in Tokyo is must-see TV.
More Dodgers Coverage:
Have you subscribed to the Bleed Los Podcast YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows & promotions, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!ews, participate in shows & promotions, and stay up to date on
