Shohei Ohtani reveals he "really wanted" to hit a homer off Dylan Cease; believes "Yoshinobu Yamamoto wasn't satisfied" with his performance

Shohei Ohtani marked his MLB postseason debut with a three-run homer against Padres ace Dylan Cease. Similar can't be said of his compatriot Yoshinobu Yamamoto who was the Dodgers' starting pitcher.

Speaking to MLB insider Ken Rosenthal for Fox Sports after the game, Ohtani shared that Yamamoto might not have been happy with his postseason debut.

"It's really hard to play lose in the first game of a playoff series. I'm sure Yoshinobu [Yamamoto] wasn't satisfied with his outing today, but I think we played a really good game against a really good opponent," said Ohtani via interpreter Will Ireton. [1:27]

What Shohei Ohtani said would make sense as Yamamoto only pitched 3 innings in the game, giving up 5 hits and 5 runs. Moreover, he walked two hitters and had a sole strikeout. However, the strikeout was against Luis Arraez, notorious for not striking out.

Similar to Yamamoto, Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease also had an off-night. When asked about the homer by Rosenthal, the Japanese superstar had an interesting reply.

"He's [Dylan Cease] a really good pitcher and it's not easy to get him, but I really wanted to make sure that I could get one [homer]," said Ohtani via Ireton. [0:55]

With the impressive performance in Game 1, Ohtani will be looking to maintain his form in Game 2. He has already hit 7 homers in his last 11 appearances. Interestingly, Shohei Ohtani will be facing his hero Yu Darvish, Padres starting pitcher, in Game 2.

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Shohei Ohtani garners praise from Dylan Cease

Padres ace Dylan Cease spoke with reporters after the loss to the Dodgers, and he acknowledged his mistakes and praised Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers' lineup.

When asked about Ohtani's home run, Cease gave a five-word reply.

"Obviously, he's [Shohei Ohtani] a great hitter", said Cease. [0:47]

Despite the setback against the Dodgers in Game 1, Cease hopes to get another chance in the 5-game series.

"I felt calm; I just didn't execute well. I never got in rhythm, so I got, you know, a couple days to prep and hopefully get another shot. But, yeah, it's definitely disappointing," Cease said. [0:15]

Ohtani and Cease have shown mutual respect after Game 1. If Cease could get another chance to pitch in the series, it certainly would be entertaining as the Padres ace will be looking to get one back on the Dodgers' superstar.