Shohei Ohtani connects on his first home run of the 2026 season

WASHINGTON — The slow start for Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ offense wasn’t going to last forever.On Friday afternoon, Ohtani broke out of a slump in typical fashion. With the Dodgers trailing the Washington Nationals 3-0 in the top of the third, Ohtani saw a 1-0 hanging changeup from starter Miles Mikolas and pummeled it 401 feet to right-center for his first home run of the year. It jump-started a five-run frame for the Dodgers, who also benefited from a two-run homer from Mookie Betts later in the inning. SHOTIME! pic.twitter.com/ORmLPlpKhr — Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 3, 2026Ohtani scuffled through the opening week of the season, going 3-for-18 in his first six games, though he did walk seven times. Still, his frustration over his start at the plate was evident after his first two-way outing of the year.Advertisement