Feb 28, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) against the Los Angeles Angels during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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WATCH: Shohei Ohtani hits home run in first at-bat of 2025 spring training

Welcome to spring training, Shohei Ohtani!

Every time you think Shohei Ohtani’s life isn’t playing out like a perfectly scripted movie, he reminds you that it absolutely is.

Out of all the ways his spring training debut could have gone, this was the most predictable. A home run in his first at-bat of 2025? Of course. If history has shown us anything, this was the only logical outcome.

For those wondering how Ohtani would follow up his historic 2024 season – a 50-homer campaign capped with an MVP and a World Series win – this was your answer.

Shohei Ohtani went yard

The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar wasted no time making a statement, launching a full-count, opposite-field home run in his first plate appearance of spring training. Facing fellow Japanese star Yusei Kikuchi, Ohtani took the left-hander deep to left field. Just another example of his effortless power.

It came against his former team, the Los Angeles Angels. That would be his only hit of the day, as he later popped up against Kikuchi and struck out against Chase Silseth.

Shohei Ohtani's first at-bat of #SpringTraining …

Shohei Ohtani's first HOME RUN of Spring Training! pic.twitter.com/k1fScI5BrD
— MLB (@MLB) March 1, 2025

It’s been a big few days for superstar debuts, with Juan Soto also homering in his first spring at-bat for the New York Mets. Meanwhile, Aaron Judge is set to make his Grapefruit League debut for the Yankees today.

ALSO READ: Juan Soto dethrones Aaron Judge as New York’s biggest star

Of course, questions remain. After undergoing offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum, will he maintain his elite power at the plate? And with his return to pitching set for May, how will he handle the workload that no one has attempted since Babe Ruth?

Shohei Ohtani just had his 1st AB since shoulder surgery.

He just hit an oppo no doubt HR and followed it up with this bat flip.

He’s simply the greatest of all time.

pic.twitter.com/7pPlvNv8lk
— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) March 1, 2025

Much of that remains unknown, but if his first swing of 2025 is any indication, the production isn’t going anywhere.

For now, the Dodgers’ primary focus is ensuring Ohtani is healthy for their season-opening series against the Chicago Cubs in Japan on March 18. And if his script continues, that trip to Tokyo will feature a few more unforgettable moments.

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Los Angeles Dodgers

Shohei Ohtani

Spring Training

Mohsin Baldiwala

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Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master’s student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld’s hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he’s a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world’s chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.