Ohtani records most MLB home runs with 23rd home run

Ohtani Shohei of the Los Angeles Angels has ascended to the pinnacle of home runs in Major League Baseball (MLB).

On Sunday, Ohtani played as the designated No.2 hitter in an American League (AL) visiting game held in Kansas City and hit his 23rd home run (1 run) of the season. Until the previous day, Ohtani, who had tied for the MLB home run lead with National League (NL) Pete Alonso of the New York Mets became the sole leader with this home run.

This home run also marked Ohtani's 150th career home run in MLB. Ohtani achieved this milestone in just 652 games, bringing him closer to Hideki Matsui's record for the most home runs by a Japanese batter in MLB, which stands at 175 home runs over 1,236 games. Ohtani now trails Matsui's record by only 25 home runs. Matsui took 988 games to reach the 150-home run mark.

Just 10 days ago, Ohtani trailed the then-home run leader, Aaron Judge, by three home runs with a season total of 16. However, during that time, Judge sustained an injury to his right toe ligament, placing him on the injured list. Meanwhile, Ohtani added seven more home runs to his tally, giving him a four-home run lead over Judge. Ohtani also leads the MLB with a remarkable OPS of 1.011, and he shares the top spot for RBIs with Rafael Devers (Boston Red Sox), with 56 RBIs each.

Ohtani has also achieved a unique distinction as a pitcher, holding the record for the lowest batting average (0.178). Since MLB's current two-league system was established in 1901, Ohtani is the first pitcher to lead in home runs and batting averages among pitchers who have pitched more than 70 innings.

Despite Ohtani hitting a home run in the top of the 7th inning, the Angels had a comfortable lead of 8-2 against Kansas City. However, their fortunes shifted as they conceded three runs in both the bottom of the 7th and 8th innings. In the bottom of the 9th inning, Samad Taylor delivered a walk-off hit, resulting in a tie game of 9-9. Unfortunately, the Angels ended up losing by 9-10.


leper@donga.com