Shohei Ohtani hits first HR as dad, jump-starts Dodgers' win - ESPN

LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani's «Dad Strength» is finally beginning to kick in as the Dodgers slugger hit his first home run since the birth of his daughter to jump-start a 15-2 victory over the Marlins on Tuesday night.

«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's 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. 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 2024, 28 hit a home run in their first game back.

«Now that he's a father,» Roberts said last week, «we might see some 120 mph exit velocities off the bat.»

Ohtani, the 2024 National League MVP, hit .125 (2-for-16) with zero RBIs and six strikeouts in his first four games back from paternity leave.

But in his last four games, Ohtani is batting .467 (7-for-15) with one homer, three doubles, a triple and two RBIs, and the home run he hit Tuesday night on Sandy Alcantara's first pitch of the game left his bat at 114 mph and traveled 394 feet.

«That was a big tone-setter,» Roberts said of Ohtani's 14th career leadoff homer. «I think we feed off of Shohei, certainly at the top of the order. For him to make it a 1-1 game after the first pitch their starter throws certainly gets some life into our offense, and we just took it from there. When he's going, you can see our offense sort of follows suit.»

Ohtani's homer sparked a three-run first-inning, and the Dodgers went on to rack up