In Major League Baseball, Ohtani Shohei of the Los Angeles Dodgers has hit his 47th homer of the season, breaking his own record for the most home runs in a single season by a Japanese player.
The Japanese star player started as the leadoff designated hitter in Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Cubs.
In his first at-bat, Ohtani slammed a breaking ball over the center-right wall, sending it flying 123.4 meters with an exit velocity of 190 kilometers per hour. It was his first homer in three games.
Ohtani surpassed the 46 homers he hit in 2021 with the Los Angeles Angels.
Additionally, his career total in Major League Baseball now stands at 218 home runs, tying him with South Korea’s Choo Shin-soo for the most career homers by an Asian player.
After the game, Ohtani told reporters that the trajectory was low so he was not sure whether the ball would go over the fence, but it felt good.
He said his team was in a bad spot after allowing runs in the first inning, but he believes he helped create some momentum.
Ohtani also successfully stole a base in the game and extended his stolen base count for the season to 48.
The Japanese player said that whenever he has a chance, he wants to continue trying to advance to the next base as much as possible.