Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani said he didn't feel awkward and was pleased to see old friends in his first game against his former Major League Baseball team, the Los Angeles Angels, on Tuesday.
Ohtani spent his first six years in MLB with the Angels, winning two unanimous American League MVPs with them before joining the Dodgers as a free agent on a record 10-year, $700-million contract in December.
The 29-year-old came into the spring training game at Camelback Ranch on a hot streak, reaching base seven consecutive times while going 5-for-7 with a homer and a triple.
Although he went 0-for-3 and struck out twice in the Dodgers' 4-0 loss, Ohtani looked happy to be among former teammates, stopping to hug star outfielder Mike Trout and chat for a few minutes before the opening pitch.
"It didn't really feel that strange," Ohtani said after the game. "I had conversations with a lot of different people."
Ohtani, who is making his way back from a second major elbow surgery in September, said he still needed to readjust to playing under lights.
"It'd been a while since I'd played a night game, so it was a little different trying to see the ball," he said. "I want to get more games under my belt."
Ohtani is scheduled to play on back-to-back days for the first time this spring when the Dodgers take on the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday. The game is also set to feature the Dodgers' other big-name Japanese newcomer, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in his second Cactus League spring training start.
