Shohei Ohtani needed just three exhibition at-bats to show what a $700 million man can do for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Japanese star hit a two-run homer in his first game wearing Dodger blue on Tuesday, working a full count in the fifth inning before an opposite-field shot off Dominic Leone that just cleared the left-field wall.

Ohtani was hitless in his first two plate appearances, striking out on four pitches in the first inning and hitting a hard grounder into a double play in the third.

Ohtani received a standing ovation before his first at-bat at Camelback Ranch, where dozens of fans wore Ohtani’s No. 17 jersey and cheered his every move. The Dodgers — already one of MLB’s premier franchises — have become even more popular after spending more than $1 billion to sign Ohtani and fellow Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Crawford joins Cardinals on a $2 million, 1-year contract >> Brandon Crawford and St. Louis finalized a $2 million, one-year contract, giving the Cardinals an experienced backup for young shortstop Masyn Winn.

The 37-year-old Crawford spent his first 13 seasons with San Francisco. He won four Gold Gloves and two World Series championships with the Giants.

Crawford appeared in 94 games in his final year in San Francisco, hitting .194 with seven homers and 38 RBIs.

Son of Blue Jays reliever Swanson hit by car, airlifted to hospital >> Toronto Blue Jays reliever Erik Swanson has left the team to be with his family after his 4-year-old son, Toby, was hit by a car Sunday.

Manager John Schneider said Toby was airlifted to a hospital, and he is “on the road to recovery.” Schneider also praised the first responders in Clearwater for their “incredible work.”

“Erik will be away from the team for a while, family comes first,” Schneider said Tuesday.

Colleges

Athletes in Iowa State gambling sting say evidence was seized illegally >> Four former or suspended Iowa State athletes contend in a court filing Tuesday that evidence in a state sports wagering investigation was gathered illegally and all charges against them should be dismissed.

Attorneys for former football players Isaiah Lee, Jirehl Brock and Enyi Uwazurike and suspended wrestler Paniro Johnson filed the motion to suppress in Story County.

The four are among about two dozen Iowa State and Iowa athletes criminally charged last year. They each face a felony charge of identity theft and an aggravated misdemeanor charge of tampering with records.

Most of the athletes who were charged pleaded guilty to underage gambling, paid fines and had identity theft charges dropped.

The identity theft charges stemmed from athletes registering accounts on mobile sports betting apps under different names, usually a relative.

NFL

Payton hints at moving on from QB Wilson >> Sean Payton isn’t providing anything definitive on Russell Wilson’s time in Denver but he did hint at the Broncos moving on from him when he suggested the team cannot afford to miss on “the next one” at quarterback.

Payton met with the media at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday and said the club should know by the end of next week what direction they’ll take at QB.

Asked if he embraced the idea of finding a solution at quarterback, one that’s eluded coaches and GMs ever since Peyton Manning retired eight years ago, Payton retorted, “Yeah, we better. In this league, which is very competitive in our division, it’s vital.”

Raiders GM Telesco doesn’t expect place franchise tag on Jacobs again >> A year after the Raiders placed the franchise tag on running back Josh Jacobs, new Las Vegas general manager Tom Telesco said that likely wouldn’t happen again.

“As a GM, you never want to take anything off the table, but I don’t anticipate using that tag this year,” he said at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.

Telesco said he would like to bring back Jacobs, who in 2022 led the NFL in rushing with 1,653 yards and averaged 4.9 yards per carry.

Falcons release tight end Smith >> The Atlanta Falcons released tight end Jonnu Smith in a cost-cutting move.

Smith, 28, set career highs with 50 receptions for 582 yards in his reunion with former Falcons coach Arthur Smith in 2023. Jonnu Smith had three touchdown catches.

The Falcons will gain $6.5 million in salary cap space with the release of Smith.

Soccer

competition is much tougher for U.S. women >> The U.S. national team has fought for years to raise the level of women’s soccer across the globe, but that doesn’t make its inevitable losses to teams it once dominated any easier.

“People say that everyone’s catching up with us. Of course, and that’s what needs to happen in women’s football,” forward Alex Morgan said after the U.S. fell 2-0 to Mexico on Monday night at the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup. “But yes, do we want to stay on top? Absolutely. But we have to continue to have an edge and today we didn’t have that.”

The loss was only the second time Mexico has beaten the U.S. The only other Mexico victory in the 43-game series was in 2010, a 2-1 win at a World Cup qualifying match in Cancun.