Shohei Ohtani might not be performing up to his lofty standards at the dish thus far for the Dodgers this postseason, but there was a welcome—and rare—sight at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night.
For the first time since March, Ohtani was out on the field taking batting practice, and the Dodgers star not only got some extra hacks in, but put on a show in the process.
Ohtani's batting practice session got off to a slow start, to the amusement of his Dodgers teammates.
Dodgers played Shohei Ohtani’s walk-up music as he took on-field batting practice for the first time this year
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 16, 2025
His teammates teased him as he whiffed on his first swing pic.twitter.com/9bmTycIetd
But it's not how you start, it's how you finish. And on one of Ohtani's last BP swings, he crushed a ball out of Dodger Stadium. The home run caromed off the top of the roof in the pavilion section en route to traveling all the way out of the park.
Shohei just hit one out of Dodger Stadium during BP. 😳 pic.twitter.com/08GVFjMWHz
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 16, 2025
Even though it came in a practice session, the homer had to be a good sight for the Dodgers, given that Ohtani hasn't gone yard since Game 1 of the wild-card round against the Reds, when he belted two homers. The presumptive 2025 National League MVP has struck out 12 times in his last 25 at-bats, collecting just a pair of hits in that span as the likes of the Phillies and Brewers have been determined to either attack Ohtani with a steady diet of breaking balls or not let him beat them by intentionally walking the slugger.
Perhaps a return to Dodger Stadium, as evidenced by one batting practice swing, will be good for Ohtani. Game 3 of the NLDS is set for Thursday at 6:08 p.m. ET.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Shohei Ohtani Crushed Ball Out of Dodger Stadium in Rare Batting Practice Session.