In Major League Baseball, Los Angeles Dodgers' two-way star Ohtani Shohei and pitcher Yamamoto Yoshinobu, who both joined the club this season, have begun practicing at the team's spring training in Arizona.

The Dodgers began their spring training on Friday in Glendale, Arizona with pitchers and catchers reporting. It came earlier than usual as the team's opening game for the 2024 season is scheduled for March 20 in South Korea.

Ohtani underwent surgery of his right elbow last year.
He told reporters before the training his swing effort is almost 100 percent level-wise. The two-time Most Valuable Player said his next step is facing live arms.

Ohtani also said there is still about one month before he starts pitching, so he is focusing on batting first and getting into good physical condition so he can avoid injuries this season.

The two-way star did not show up at an outdoor practice site. The Dodgers say he had a workout which doubled as rehabilitation.

Yamamoto arrived at the training facility at around 8 a.m. He had light stretch training and played catch while the temperature dropped to 3 degrees Celsius. He later threw 21 pitches in the bullpen and practiced with live batters.