Ohtani, Trout hug it out before first spring meeting

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- About 15 minutes before first pitch, Shohei Ohtani ran to the other side of the field. As he stopped his full sprint, Ohtani shared a quick hug with Angels outfielder Mike Trout and chatted with the three-time American League Most Valuable Player for a few minutes.

After sharing some moments and taking a few pictures with his former teammates, Ohtani, for the first time in his career, ran back in the opposite direction to get ready to play against the Angels, the organization that gave him the first chance in the Majors six years ago.

“A lot of the boys were here today,” Ohtani said through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. “So I got to catch up with most of them.”

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Ohtani said his former coaches and teammates didn’t give him a hard time for wearing blue and not red at this stage of his career. The two-time unanimous AL MVP also admitted that the Angels weighed heavily on his mind while he made his free-agent decision over the winter. But once he signed the papers with the Dodgers, he was ready for this new chapter of his career.

“It didn’t really feel too weird or uncomfortable because it kind of is what it is,” Ohtani said. “If I was playing at the Angels’ home, it might have been a little different story.”

Said Trout: “I just congratulated him on everything and all the stuff that happened over the winter -- the marriage, the contract, just all the things that happened. We were friends, and he was a great teammate. And now we’re just on different teams.”

While Tuesday was a day for Ohtani to catch up with old friends, it was also another opportunity for him to get ready for the upcoming season. Ohtani came into Tuesday’s game 5-for-7 this spring with a homer and a triple. He had reached base seven consecutive times.

But Ohtani struck out in his first two at-bats on Tuesday and flied out to Trout in center in his third and final at-bat. Results, of course, don’t mean anything for Ohtani and the regulars. All that matters for Ohtani this spring is that he feels healthy.

Ohtani, who underwent a second major right elbow surgery in September and will not pitch this year, is starting to show that he is healthy enough to play when the Dodgers take on the Padres in Seoul, South Korea, from March 20-21.

“I think we can say the hitting part of the rehab is over officially,” Ohtani said. “Now I just need to get more at-bats, have quality at-bats, be able to see the ball and get my timing down.”

Before the start of Cactus League games, Ohtani said he wanted to get around 50 at-bats before the Seoul Series. Those at-bats would be a combination of live batting practice, simulated at-bats in the hitting lab and Cactus League games.

At this point, Ohtani appears to be right where he wants to be. He’ll get another chance at three at-bats on Wednesday against the White Sox, the first time he’ll play on back-to-back days this spring. It’s another positive sign in what has been a smooth spring for the new Dodgers superstar.

“That was the first night game in a while,” Ohtani said. “I’m still getting used to seeing with my eyes in night games, but I should be there. My last at-bat felt pretty good. I got jammed a little bit. But overall, I’m pretty satisfied with the quality and the results of my at-bats.”