All eyes on Ohtani as Dodgers gear up for home opener against St. Louis Cardinals

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- It's time for Dodger baseball!

Thursday is the home opener against the St. Louis Cardinals, and expectations for Los Angeles are sky-high this season after they signed Shohei Ohtani to a $700 million deal.

Ohtani already made his Dodgers debut last week in South Korea, but all eyes will still be on the two-way sensation for the start of the 2024 MLB season.

First pitch is at 1:10 p.m.

Ohtani is trying to remain focused on the field after the firing of his longtime interpreter and friend Ippei Mizuhara, who Ohtani said Monday stole money from him to pay off gambling debts. Mizuhara was fired while the Dodgers were in Seoul last week for a season-opening, two-game series against San Diego.

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani spoke publicly for the first time Monday about gambling and financial mismanagement allegations against his former interpreter.

Ohtani, who won't pitch this season while recovering from a second Tommy John surgery, was 3 for 10 with two RBIs as Los Angeles split the Seoul Series. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts posted Tuesday that Mizuhara's absence could be good for Ohtani, saying Mizuhara had been a "buffer" between the Japanese star and his new teammates.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.