Shohei Ohtani (30, Los Angeles Dodgers), who unintentionally bothered opposing pitchers, apologized after achieving his record.
Japanese media outlet Full Count said on the 22nd, “Otani bowed his head saying, ‘I was also sorry for something’ after setting a new Japanese Major League Baseball (MLB) home run record.”
Ohtani hit a home run in the bottom of the third inning as his team’s second designated hitter at the 2024 Major League home game against the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Coming up with one out, Ohtani hit a two-run homer over the right fence by hitting a missed pitch from Mets starter Adrian Houser.
It was his fifth homer of the season, and he had a driving distance of 423 feet (about 129 meters) and a driving speed of 110 miles (177 kilometers). Realizing that it was a home run as soon as he got hit, Ohtani stared at the ball and slowly headed to the first base.
With this homer, Ohtani has rewritten Japanese baseball history. Having recorded 175 home runs in his career before the game, he added one more, breaking Hideki Matsui’s record of most home runs in a Japanese major leaguer’s career. Having signed a contract with the New York Yankees in 2003, Matsui, a former Yomiuri Giants player, has recorded 20 home runs in five seasons, including 31 in 2004, drawing 175 career arches.
What Matsui has accomplished over the past 10 years (2003-2012) took Ohtani seven seasons, practically just over six seasons. Starting with 22 home runs in 2018, he hit 18 home runs in 2019 and seven in 2020 (60 games shortened) and entered the home run competition for the first time by drawing 46 arches in 2021. He hit 34 home runs in 2022, but ranked first in the American League with 44 home runs last year. After moving to the Dodgers, he added five more this year to set a Japanese record. 밤알바
When Ohtani hit a home run, the official major league website MLB.com posted the message “Breaking” on the main page. That’s why Ohtani’s shot was so meaningful.
Therefore, it was highly likely that Ohtani’s home run ball would be highly valuable. As a result, the Major League Secretariat made Ohtani wear a ball engraved on it whenever he entered the batter’s box. It was to certify that if a home run came out.
If Ohtani plays, it will take some time because the referee has to give another ball. If so, the opposing pitcher could lose his rhythm. In fact, San Diego Padres’ Wandy Peralta expressed his dissatisfaction against Ohtani on Saturday. The same Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish (San Diego Padres) also joked, “When you look at the ball, you see numbers and alphabets written on it, and I wonder if the Dodgers is doing something strange.”