LOS ANGELES -- Shohei Ohtani’s left knee remains one of the most closely watched storylines in baseball, but it took him all of five pitches Tuesday night to prove his swing remains untouched.
The left knee inflammation has been a consistent topic of concern following a stretch where the superstar appeared compromised on the basepaths and had his mound progression paused. But prior to Tuesday’s opener against the Mariners at Dodger Stadium, manager Dave Roberts made it clear that Ohtani’s lower body isn't limiting him at the plate.
"He continues to say that the running doesn't affect his knee," Roberts said pregame. "And recently, he's been running harder. So that tells me that his knee feels better and isn't compromised [by] running or swinging the bat."
Ohtani backed up his manager’s assessment almost immediately.
Leading off the bottom of the first inning against Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo, Ohtani worked a 2-2 count before driving an 86.5 mph slider deep to center field to give Los Angeles a quick 1-0 lead.
The blast marked Ohtani’s 23rd home run of the season -- though his first in 10 games following the All-Star break -- and his 10th of the leadoff variety. It was also the 28th leadoff homer of his Dodgers career, tying him with Davey Lopes for the second most in franchise history behind Mookie Betts (32).
The swing brought Ohtani’s total to 132 home runs in his first three seasons in Los Angeles, placing him sixth on the all-time MLB leaderboard for most home runs in a player’s first three years with a franchise. He trails Mark McGwire (Cardinals, 159), Alex Rodriguez (Rangers, 156), Babe Ruth (Yankees, 148), Khris Davis (Athletics, 133) and Roger Maris (Yankees, 133).