MILWAUKEE -- On the night Mookie Betts showed he¡¯s still Mookie Betts in his triumphant return to the Dodgers¡¯ lineup, Shohei Ohtani also reminded everyone of the terror that Los Angeles¡¯ top of the order inflicts.

Ohtani crushed a 424-foot opposite-field homer in the fifth inning of the Dodgers¡¯ series opener against the Brewers, giving Los Angeles a four-run lead. It was Ohtani¡¯s 36th homer of the season, and perhaps more notably, the first he¡¯s hit in his career in a 3-0 count.

¡°He has the green light [3-0],¡± Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. ¡°He can fire whenever he wants to.¡±

Ohtani, who also walked in the seventh and then stole second base, is up to 36 homers and 33 stolen bases this season.

Brewers starter Freddy Peralta threw a 93 mph four-seam fastball off the outside corner, and Ohtani went out and got it. The blast had a projected 107 mph exit velocity, according to Statcast.

Ohtani entered Monday with 134 career plate appearances that ended on a 3-0 pitch. In 128 of them, he walked. He went 4-for-6 with a pair of doubles in the other six.

"It was very impressive,¡± Peralta said. ¡°I don't know how he was able to hit it that hard, and to the opposite side, too. At least it was probably the best hitter in the game. I should have made better pitches to him earlier."

The Dodgers moved Ohtani to the leadoff spot when Betts fractured his left hand on a hit by pitch on June 16. Ohtani has exclusively hit leadoff since, and he¡¯s been on a torrid run. In 46 games since June 17, he¡¯s slashing .281/.393/.663 with 17 homers and 39 RBIs.

Ohtani¡¯s homer on Monday followed a leadoff single by Kevin Kiermaier. Knowing Betts, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hern¨¢ndez were due up after him, Ohtani stayed aggressive on 3-0.

"Just being aggressive overall throughout the at-bat was important for me,¡± Ohtani said. ¡°But also recognizing that Mookie, Freddie and Teo were behind. I think being aggressive, even in a 3-0 count, would be smart."

Betts went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in his return. Even with a reconfigured 1-2-3 in the batting order, opposing pitchers having to face some combo of Ohtani, Betts and Freeman consecutively remains a daunting task.

"Not just me, but as a team I think we really feel the depth of our lineup,¡± Ohtani said. ¡°It really showed tonight in how we played."