Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani Talks Hitting 1st MLB HR Since Birth of Daughter vs. Pirates
Tuesday marked a milestone moment for Shohei Ohtani, who hit his first home run since becoming a father in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 15-2 victory over the Miami Marlins.
Ohtani told reporters about the feeling of hitting that homer since his wife, Mamiko, gave birth to the couple's first child on April 19.
"It was a good home run to get back on the board for this game," Ohtani said through an interpreter. ""I haven't hit one since being a father, so it's a really nice one to be able to do that."
The home run was a laser off Sandy Alcántara to leadoff the bottom of the first inning on the first pitch he saw.
Ohtani announced the birth of his daughter in a post on Instagram, writing that he is "grateful to my loving wife" and "to my daughter, thank you for making us very nervous yet super anxious parents."
During his postgame press conference on Tuesday, Ohtani said his routine has had to change since the birth of his daughter but things have been okay so far because the Dodgers are in the midst of a six-game homestand.
"A little change in the routine in terms of, for example today I went to the hospital and came straight to the field. Just being here at home is nice to be able to spend time, but on the road, it's going to be a little bit of a challenge since I won't be here. But I'm just grateful for the safe delivery. I'm glad that even though I couldn't sleep as much as I wanted to, it's a good kind of not-getting-enough-sleep situation."
Ohtani missed three games on the paternity list from April 17-19 before returning to the lineup on April 20 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He had a brief slump upon returning, hitting .125/.222/.125 in just 18 plate appearances in his first four games back.
Things have been back to normal since April 26. Ohtani is hitting .467/.600/1.000 with five extra-base hits in 20 plate appearances. The Dodgers have won four straight games, moving back into first place in the NL West with a 20-10 record.
After Wednesday's series finale against the Marlins, Los Angeles will begin a 10-game road trip starting on Friday in Atlanta. It's the longest road trip of the season for the defending World Series champs.
