Tokyo (AFP) – Shohei Ohtani hit a home run but Roki Sasaki had a wobbly Major League Baseball debut as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs 6-3 in Tokyo on Wednesday. Japan’s Ohtani thrilled another sold-out crowd at the Tokyo Dome when he blasted a one-run shot in the fifth inning as the World Series champion Dodgers completed a two-game season-opening sweep.
“I’m glad we won and I’m relieved to get my first home run,” said Ohtani. “We didn’t get a home run last night, so I’m glad we were able to get some powerful MLB-style home runs tonight and play some great baseball.”
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Japanese pitcher Sasaki showcased his ferocious fastball but struggled with his command in his first start since joining the Dodgers over the winter. The 23-year-old hit 100 mph (160 kph) with his first three pitches and struck out three batters but also gave up one run and five walks in three innings on the mound.
“I felt good about the things I had been working on in spring training,” said Sasaki, whose father and grandparents were killed in Japan’s 2011 tsunami. “Even though my control went awry at times during the game, I felt good about my mechanics.”
Tommy Edman and Kike Hernandez also hit home runs for the Dodgers, who beat the Cubs 4-1 in Tuesday’s Game 1. Over 40,000 fans erupted when Ohtani hit a home run to right centre field in his third trip to the plate. Umpires reviewed the call but upheld it, giving fans an excuse to celebrate a second time.
“Nothing Shohei does surprises me,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “Everyone here tonight came to watch Shohei perform and put on a show, and like Shohei does, he always seems to deliver.” Ohtani is a national hero in Japan and his first visit with the Dodgers has been eagerly anticipated for months.
Sasaki’s mixed debut – Fans were also waiting to see the hotly tipped Sasaki, who the Dodgers signed despite intense interest from the rest of the league’s clubs. The right-hander got his first MLB strikeout against the Cubs’ Japanese batter Seiya Suzuki, letting out a loud grunt as he launched another thunderous fastball. His command faltered as the game went on and he walked three batters in a row in the third inning. He eventually got himself out of trouble with two straight strikeouts to end the inning.
Roberts said Sasaki had “some nerves, understandably so.” “The velocity was good but I thought the command, the emotions, the adrenaline, it was hard to rein it in,” said Roberts. “But in the third inning, he made some big pitches for us.”
Edman hit the Dodgers’ first home run of the season off Cubs starting pitcher Justin Steele in the third inning. Hernandez crushed another in the fourth inning, hitting the ball high into the stands with a massive shot. World Series MVP Freddie Freeman did not play for the Dodgers after missing Game 1 with a sore rib. Mookie Betts was also absent after being sent home from Tokyo earlier in the week after suffering flu-like symptoms.
Ohtani took up the slack effortlessly, sending the fans home happy and giving the Dodgers two wins to start the season. “I know Shohei puts his pants on just like we all do, one leg at a time,” said Roberts. “But if there’s ever a superhero, I think Shohei seems like a superhero.”
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