Ohtani flies out in 1st at-bat of his playoff debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers in NLDS

LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani has flied out to left field to open one of the most anticipated playoff debuts in major league history.

The Japanese superstar led off the bottom of the first inning for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who trailed 3-0 to the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of their National League Division Series on Saturday night.

Ohtani, who hit .310 in the regular season, faced off against San Diego's Dylan Cease. Ohtani swung mightily for a strike on Cease's first pitch. He soon trailed 0-2 in the count before flying out to left field.

Ohtani is getting his first chance on the October playoff stage after spending the last six years with the Los Angeles Angels, who never had a winning record or made the postseason during his tenure.

Ohtani signed a record $700 million, 10-year deal with the Dodgers in December. He didn’t pitch this season while rehabbing from a second elbow surgery he had a year ago. That allowed him to focus on his offense, and he exploded, becoming Major League Baseball's first player with 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season.