Ohtani is the second Japanese-born player to hit a home run in an MLB game played in Japan, joining Hideki Matsui. Matsui hit a two-run home run for the New York Yankees against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at the Tokyo Dome on March 31, 2004.

It appeared as if a fan touched the ball before it left the field of play, but the Dodgers star's round-tripper stood.

In what was a display of Japanese baseball excellence, Ohtani’s teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto faced off against Shota Imanaga, marking the first game in MLB history which featured two Japanese-born starting pitchers in an Opening Day game.