Shohei Otani (LA Dodgers) is struck out with a missed swing in the top of the second inning of the MLB Seoul Series practice game between the Los Angeles (LA) Dodgers and Kiwoom Heroes held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 17th.

When ‘700 Million Dollar Man’ Shohei Ohtani (30, LA Dodgers) appeared at the plate, loud cheers erupted. Baseball fans who visited Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul expected one hit from Ohtani, but he swallowed his disappointment after striking out two.

Ohtani started as the number 2 designated hitter in the special match against Kiwoom Heroes held at Gocheok Dome on the 17th and recorded no hits in 2 at-bats and 2 strikeouts. 스포츠 토토사이트

Ohtani, who played in Korea for the first time in 12 years since the 2012 World Youth Baseball Championship in which he participated as a member of the Japanese national team, was unable to present a hit or home run to the fans who cheered him on.

The biggest interest in this game was whether or not 'superstar' Ohtani would start, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts placed key players, including Ohtani, in the starting lineup in preparation for the Seoul Series match against the San Diego Padres, which takes place three days later.

Ohtani is the best superstar in the major leagues. At the end of last year, he received the highest treatment in North American professional sports, worth a total of $700 million (approximately KRW 932.4 billion) over a 10-year contract period, and wore a Dodgers uniform.

Ohtani, who doubles as a two-hitter, underwent elbow surgery last year, and because of this, he plans to play only as a hitter this season.

Ohtani, who only focuses on his hitting, boasted of his best hitting skills before coming to Korea. In the major league exhibition game, he achieved outstanding results with a batting average of 0.500 (11 hits in 22 at-bats), 2 home runs, 9 RBIs, 5 runs, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 1.486. However, on this day, Ohtani's batting performance was not good. He struck out twice in a row against Ariel Jurado, who ranked 4th in ERA (2.65) in the KBO league last year. Jurado hit the ball with the bat three times, but all of them were fouls. In the top of the first inning, with one out and no runner on base, Ohtani, who took his first at-bat, was caught in an unfavorable count with two fouls. He then picked out two balls, but missed the bat on Jurado's high 91.8 mile (approximately 147.7 km) sinker.

As the Dodgers' batting lineup exploded from the beginning, Ohtani's next at-bat came quickly. Ohtani faced Furado again in the top of the second inning with one out and 1st and 3rd bases, with the team leading 3-0. With 1 ball and 2 strikes, Ohtani swung the bat so hard that his helmet came off at Furado's high 5th pitch, a 91.2 mph fastball (approximately 146.8 km). However, the ball did not hit the bat and he struck out. Manager Dave Roberts said before the game, “Ohtani will only have two at-bats.” As planned, Ohtani ended the day's game by replacing pinch hitter Hunter Feduccia during his third at-bat in the top of the fourth inning. Even though he struck out twice, it was meaningful that Ohtani played in the game in Korea. Youngjun, who became an avid fan of Ohtani through the 2015 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier 12, said, “I failed to reserve a ticket for the Seoul Series, but I bought a special match ticket in hopes of seeing Ohtani. He was really happy to hear that he would be starting today. “Unfortunately, he didn’t hit the home run he expected, but I was very moved just by being able to see Ohtani hit,” he said. 온라인 슬롯