Samurai Japan star pitcher Maeda wins, homers in MLB debut – VIDEO

SAN DIEGO, U.S. — Japan National Team ace Kenta Maeda earned a win in his Major League Baseball debut, as the Los Angeles Dodgers shut out the San Diego Padres, 7-0, Wednesday night.

Maeda’s second at-bat, in which he was slow to arrive to the plate and followed with a home run, produced a frenzy in the Dodger dugout and trended across social media platforms.

At the 2015 WBSC Premier12 last November, Maeda posted a 1-0 record in two starts, registering a 1.50 ERA and 14 strikeouts against only one walk in 12 innings pitched for the bronze-winning Samurai — he had no at-bats in the global championship tournament.

In January, Maeda transferred to the Dodgers from the Hiroshima Carp of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league, as part of an 8-year, $US 25 million agreement.

Kenta MAEDA Hero for Japan !! @samuraijapan_pr #premier12 pic.twitter.com/1g63JSH9p9

— WBSC (@WBSC) November 16, 2015