Shohei Ohtani's controversial homer part of power-packed Dodgers performance vs. Cubs

During the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Shohei Ohtani smacked a 448 foot homer for his Team Japan against Team Australia to help Japan coast into the quarterfinals. The ball sailed well into the stands, almost caroming off of a massive billboard featuring none other than...Shohei Ohtani.

This guy is no stranger to the Tokyo Dome, and everyone who's ever watched him play there has lived and breathed by his at-bats. During the Dodgers' first exhibition game of the Tokyo Series against the Yomiuri Giants on Saturday, he gave them exactly what they wanted when he clobbered a 391 foot homer to right field as part of a five-run top of the third for LA.

He collected two hits in the series opener, a single and a double — a nice performance by most metrics but still maybe, kind of, a letdown for anyone who wanted to see him go yard.

But because he's Shohei Ohtani, he wasn't going to let his visit back to his home country pass without making a statement. In the series finale, he was hitless when he came up to the plate for his third at-bat. Cubs pitcher Nate Pearson put a 2-2 fastball right where Ohtani wanted it — center cut — and Ohtani cranked it to right center.

It came off the bat looking like it was going to be a no-brainer, and Ohtani watched it go like it was going to be a no-brainer, and the umpires called it a homer, but there was some confusion when the ball plopped back onto the outfield grass.

After a short delay and replay review, the call on the field stood. Ohtani had his first homer of the season.

Shohei Ohtani gets his first homer of the season in Tokyo against Cubs after controversial ruling

The issue with the call was clear: a fan in center field had reached out over the wall in an attempt to grab the ball, and it hit their hand before coming back down to the grass. Still, it didn't take much consideration for the umpires to rule it a homer, and the crowd roared as the crew chief spun a finger in the air to confirm the call.

It gave the Dodgers a 6-2 lead following homers from both Tommy Edman and Kiké Hernández (solo and two-run, respectively) as LA's bats woke up after a homer-less series opener. Hernández's especially was a bomb; everyone knew that one was leaving the park as soon as it came off of the bat.

Cubs fans might still be fuming about the ruling on Ohtani's homer, but the call's the call, and Ohtani has his first homer of the season in his home country. It doesn't get much better than that.