The first home run of the 2025 MLB season came on the other side of the world and from a player who typically doesn’t hit home runs. Los Angeles Dodgers super utility man Tommy Edman slugged a third inning solo homer off Chicago Cubs lefty Justin Steele in the second game of the Tokyo Series on Wednesday morning (GameTracker) for MLB’s first homer of the new season.
Mookie Betts is under the weather and did not play in the two-game Tokyo Series. Edman stepped into Mookie’s usual No. 2 lineup spot in both games. Here is his blast:
Edman, 30 in May, joined the Dodgers in a three-team deadline trade with the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago White Sox last year. He averaged 13 home runs per 162 games in parts of five seasons with the Cardinals, then hit six homers in 37 games with Los Angeles after returning from wrist and ankle injuries. Edman added two more homers in 16 postseason games and won NLCS MVP.
The Dodgers signed Edman to a five-year, $74 million extension in November. He was a year away from free agency. Edman is manning second base for Los Angeles early this season but is also an option for them at shortstop and in center field. His versatility is part of what makes him so appealing as a player.
The aforementioned Betts hit the first home run of the 2024 season in Seoul as part of the Korea Series, a two-run shot off the Padres’ Michael King. Those were MLB’s first regular season games played in South Korea.
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