Shohei Ohtani has broken the record for most home runs by a Japanese-born player in MLB history previously held by Hideki Matsui. This happened just a few days after reaching the same number of home runs as Matsui.
Key points:
- Ohtani, 29, surpassed the record during the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ game against the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday, which the Dodgers won 10-0.
- The Dodgers superstar delivered his 176th home run while facing Mets’ right-hander Adrian Houser in the third inning. The ball traveled to the stadium’s Right Field Pavilion at a velocity of 110 miles per hour (177 kilometers per hour) and a distance of 423 feet (128.9 meters).
The details:
- Ohtani achieved this seven games after tying Matsui’s record of 175 on April 13.
- Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts commented on Ohtani’s record, noting that his latest feat meant a “big deal” for the Japanese player, given his admiration for Matsui as a baseball star.
- Speaking through his interpreter Will Ireton, Ohtani told reporters, “Honestly I was just relieved I was able to just get it over with, I was just happy I was able to do that. We really want to take this opportunity to start a good streak and obviously we tip our hats to (starting pitcher Tyler) Glasnow for pitching an awesome game.”
- Commenting on the record-breaking swing, Matsui described Ohtani as a “great player” and said that the numbers on his end “are just not comparable.”
- Ohtani is currently leading the MLB with a .368 batting average with 35 hits.
Catching up:
- Outside baseball, Ohtani recently signed a multi-year deal with tech company Rapsodo as its first MLB player tech ambassador, the company announced.
- Rapsodo is a Singapore-based company specializing in sports analytics, providing tools for athletes and coaches to analyze and enhance their performance in various fields, such as in golf, baseball and softball. Rapsodo also has offices in other countries, including the United States and Japan.
