Halfway through his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani looks quite comfortable with his new surroundings. The Japanese slugger has been a sweet-swinging Hollywood blockbuster so far. The Dodgers are on top of the NL West with a 50-31 record, and Ohtani has played a major role in their strong start.
The two-time AL MVP is batting a career-high .320 with 24 homers, 60 RBIs and a 1.032 OPS in 78 games.
Adapting to the Team
„It’s really about getting to know the guys,“ Ohtani said Tuesday night through an interpreter. „You know I had my first impression, but really getting to know who the people are and the organization.“
Recovering Fom Surgery
Ohtani isn’t pitching this year while he recovers from elbow surgery, and it looks as if putting more of his focus on hitting is helping him at the plate.
„I don’t know what more we can really say about him,“ Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman said. „I think we’ve said everything we can since he entered this league, about what an amazing player he is. But when you come over here, you just never know how first year’s going to go on any team.“