Throughout his career, Shohei Ohtani has raised the bar and altered our perception of what is even possible in baseball. He has now established a new benchmark for MLB Japanese slugging proficiency.
In the third inning of the Dodgers’ 10-0 victory on Sunday, Ohtani faced right-hander Adrian Houser of the Mets and hit a 0-1 slider left over the center of the plate to record his 176th career home run, snapping a tie with Hideki Matsui for the most by a Major Leaguer of Japanese descent. With an exit velocity of 110 mph and a projected distance of 423 feet into Dodger Stadium’s Right Field Pavilion, the blast was an unquestionable hit.
Between April 13 when Ohtani tied Matsui and April 27, when he broke the record, it took seven games. Nevertheless, he was quite successful during that time, going 11-for-29 with three doubles and six walks. After Sunday’s home run, Ohtani reached base twice more. In the fifth, he added a single that took a pitch off Houser’s left foot. In the sixth, he worked a walk, and in the eighth, he was lifted for a pinch hitter.
• When the Dodgers need it, Glasnow steps up “huge.”
Through an interpreter, Matsui described Ohtani as “just a great player” due to his presence and skill on the field. “On my end, the figures are simply not comparable. There are undoubtedly a lot of admirers who have high hopes for what he may achieve. Personally, all I can wish for is that he continues to be well.”
Ohtani’s MLB top ten home homers
