Shohei Ohtani’s “dad strength” finally kicked in on Tuesday night as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ slugger hit his first home run since the birth of his daughter to jump-start a 15-2 victory over the Miami Marlins.
“It was a good home run to get back on the board for this game,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “I haven’t hit one since being a father, so it’s a really nice one to be able to do that.”
Whether it is a myth or statistically proven fact, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is a firm believer in “dad strength,” the theory that some players gain physical strength and stamina upon entering fatherhood.
Photo: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / USA Today
The MLB.com’s research department found that among the more than 200 instances of hitters returning to action from the paternity list from 2011 to last year, 28 hit a home run in their first game back.
“Now that he’s a father, we might see some 120mph [193kph] exit velocities off the bat,” Roberts said last week.
In Baltimore, the New York Yankees greeted the Orioles’ Kyle Gibson in his return to the major leagues by homering on three of his first five pitches.
When Trent Grisham, Aaron Judge and Ben Rice went deep, it marked the second time this year that New York began a game with three consecutive home runs.
The Yankees are the first team to do that more than once in a season — and they did it before the end of April.
Cody Bellinger — the game’s fifth batter — also hit a solo homer, and Gibson allowed another one to Rice in the second.
The Yankees ultimately went deep six times and thrashed the Orioles 15-3.
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