Shohei Ohtani did not necessarily get off to a slow start in his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but early results were largely devoid of power.
Most notably, Ohtani did not have a home run through the Dodgers’ first eight games. That changed against the San Francisco Giants on April 3, and it’s seemingly vaulted the two-way star onto a tear.
Ohtani admitted hitting his first Dodgers home run brought about a feeling of relief, and he promptly followed that with his second of the season in the team’s next game.
When discussing his recent hot stretch at the plate, Ohtani explained he relied on studying video of his at-bats and revealed taking swings with a customized cricket bat during Sunday’s rain delay at Wrigley Field has also proven beneficial, as seen on SportsNet LA:
“It’s starts with just looking at the footage and being able to see what’s going on. For example, [Sunday], after two at-bats, we picked up a cricket bat and started swinging. It led to pretty good results, so I’ll continue to do that.”
When asked about Ohtani swinging a cricket bat, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts joked about the tool no longer being a secret before explaining some of the thought process behind using it:
“He’s kind of divulging some secrets. It’s a bat that’s like a cricket paddle but it’s got the grip and handle of a bat. So I think in theory, it’s supposed to help you have a flat bat and keep your bat in the hitting zone a little bit longer. He and Robert (Van Scoyoc) were working with it, and Shohei took a liking to it.”
Ohtani slugged another home run on Monday and also doubled twice to lead the Dodgers with three hits in their 4-2 win.
Dating back to the night Ohtani hit his first home run of the year, he’s now 11-for-22 with four doubles, one triple, three home runs and five RBI in the last five games.
Shohei Ohtani career-best streak
For the first time in his career, Ohtani has five multi-hit games. The torrid stretch has put his on-base plus slugging percentage at 1.056 on the season.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
