Ohtani is first Japanese-born player with 200 HRs in Majors (2024)

Slugger is first Japanese-born player to achieve feat

July 13th, 2024

Steve Kornacki

DETROIT -- Shohei Ohtani reached a home run milestone and had a big game Saturday afternoon at Comerica Park, but he wasn’t enough to save the Dodgers from an 11-9 loss to the Tigers in 10 innings.

Ohtani’s 200th MLB homer broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the fifth inning. The solo shot pulled down the right-field line against right-hander Keider Montero came on a changeup, and was Ohtani’s National League-leading 29th of the season.

However, Detroit capped a five-run, ninth-inning comeback with a two-run homer by rookie Colt Keith off closer Evan Phillips to force extra innings.

“It’s really incredible," said manager Dave Roberts of Ohtani's performance. "The stolen bases, the home runs. He’s having a tremendous, MVP-type season. Two hundred homers with how short he’s been in the big leagues … and take away some of the IL time.

“How he’s done it so quickly is pretty remarkable, and he legged out a triple. Unfortunately, we couldn’t celebrate that 200-homer accomplishment with a win.”

The Dodgers had been 48-0 when leading after eight innings.

“It’s not us,” said Roberts. “It doesn’t happen, but it certainly happened today.”

Even after the lead slipped away in the 9th, Los Angeles still had a chance for extra-inning redemption.

In the 10th, with Cavan Biggio on second and one out, Ohtani was intentionally walked. Reliever Will Vest then hit Teoscar Hernández to load the bases, but Freddie Freeman hit into an inning-ending double play on a well-struck ball that nearly got through the infield.

The Tigers won it in the 10th on a one-out, two-run homer by Gio Urshela off Yohan Ramírez.

“We had a five-run lead,” said Roberts, “and there’s just no excuse for us losing that game. We’ve just got to be better.”

Detroit’s comeback win was rain on the parade of Ohtani’s great outing.

The two-time American League MVP is the first Japanese-born MLB player to reach the 200-homer milestone. He passed Hideki Matsui (175) earlier this season.

Ohtani turned 30 on July 5, and it's fair to wonder just how many homer milestones he will reach in his career.

  • Ohtani's top 10 home runs in MLB

He hit homer No. 1 on April 3, 2018 at Anaheim for the Angels, a three-run shot to deep right-center field against Cleveland’s Josh Tomlin.

Ohtani connected for No. 100 on May 14, 2022 for the Angels with a two-run shot to left-center off Adam Oller in Oakland.

No. 200 came on Ohtani’s 2,848th at-bat, in the middle of his seventh season. Ohtani has picked up his homer pace in the last three seasons, registering 46 in 2021, 34 in 2022 and 44 in 2023.

He also tripled leading off the first inning and came around to score the first of his three runs on Freeman’s fielder’s choice grounder. Ohtani's third run came in the eighth, when he walked and scored after collecting his 23rd steal of the season. He knocked in his second run of the game with a fielder’s choice grounder in the sixth.

Ohtani now holds the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers franchise record for extra-base hits before the All-Star break with 56, surpassing Hall of Famer Duke Snider. However, with seasons starting earlier now and the All-Star Game being played later, there is a disparity; Snider had 55 extra-base hits in 80 games in 1954, while this was Ohtani’s 93rd game of the season and the Dodgers’ 96th.

Justin Wrobleski, who allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits over five innings, struck out four and walked a pair in his second career start. However, his first MLB win wasn’t in the cards.

“I thought he threw well, but made some mistakes they took advantage of,” said Roberts, alluding to the back-to-back homers surrendered to Ryan Vilade and Andy Ibáñez in his fifth and final inning. “But still, we were in position to win the game.”

After the back-to-back homers, the Dodgers still led 5-4. Enrique Hernández added insurance runs in the seventh with a two-run homer off the foul pole in left, his fifth of the season.

Still, in the end, the hitting heroics couldn’t produce a victory for the Dodgers, as the bullpen let the game get away just one day after combining to blank the Tigers over 5 1/3 innings, breaking a four-game losing streak.

The bullpen is running on fumes, and it’s not the best time for a bullpen game. But that’s the Dodgers’ plan for Sunday’s final game before the All-Star break. Roberts did not announce who would be the opener.

“We’ve got a guy or two coming to try to figure out some length,” said Roberts of the pending Sunday call-ups. “So, it’s going to be a piecemeal effort to try to cover nine innings tomorrow.

“You know, we still have a chance to win the series.”

Ohtani is first Japanese-born player with 200 HRs in Majors (2024)

FAQs

Ohtani is first Japanese-born player with 200 HRs in Majors? ›

The two-time American League MVP is the first Japanese-born MLB player to reach the 200-homer milestone. He passed Hideki Matsui (175) earlier this season. Ohtani turned 30 on July 5, and it's fair to wonder just how many homer milestones he will reach in his career.

How many games did it take Ohtani to hit 200 home runs? ›

Ohtani has amassed those 200 career homers in just 794 games and 2,848 at-bats.

What is Shohei Ohtani's longest home run? ›

The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar belted a 473-foot blast off Kutter Crawford's 85 mph cutter in their 9-6 win over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. Ohtani's blast was a no-doubter, staring in awe as it landed on the terrace at Dodger Stadium and nearly left the ballpark. Ohtani's homer was also his 30th of the season.

What is a Shohei Ohtani's height and weight? ›

Who was the first player to hit 200 home runs? ›

The charter member of the 200 home run club was Babe Ruth who reached the mark on May 12th, 1923; he went on to hit an amazing total of 714 home runs in his career. The Babe was the first American League player to hit 200 homers.

Who is the fastest to 200 home runs in MLB? ›

2009 — Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard became the fastest player in major league history to reach 200 career home runs, breaking the record previously held by Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner. Howard reached 200 homers in his 658th game, hitting his 23rd of the season in the sixth inning of a 4-0 win over Florida.

Who's hit the longest home run in Major League History? ›

Hitting a baseball hundreds of feet is incredibly hard. Accurately measuring those moonshots isn't much easier... however the sourced site believes that Babe Ruth hit the longest Homerun in MLB history in 1921 at 572 feet. The longest in the Minors is believed to be in 1987 where Joey Meyer hit one 582 feet.

What is Babe Ruth's farthest home run? ›

On April 4, 1919, Babe Ruth hit the longest homer run ever recorded. In a spring training game against the New York Giants, the Babe hit pitcher George Smith's 3-1 fastball 587 feet from Plant Field's home plate.

Why is Ohtani so popular? ›

Because of his elite contributions as a hitter and as a pitcher, a rarity as a two-way player, Ohtani's 2021, 2022, and 2023 seasons are considered among the greatest in baseball history, with some comparing them favorably to the early career of Babe Ruth.

How many languages does Shohei Ohtani speak? ›

Shohei Ohtani is a lot of things, including being willing to find new ways to overcome the obstacles in front of him. He has been in the United States for years now, but his preference is to still speak Japanese when making public appearances. Ohtani can speak English, but he is more comfortable in his first language.

How many games did it take Ryan Howard to hit 200 home runs? ›

A month later, against the Florida Marlins on July 16, Howard hit his 200th career home run, making him the fastest player ever to that mark. It took Howard 658 games to reach 200 long-balls, beating out the previous titleholder, Ralph Kiner (706 games).

Who hit 100 home runs in the fewest games? ›

Howard set the standard and then some, demolishing the previous record for fewest games to 100 career home runs. He hit No. 100 on June 27, 2007, his 325th game in the Majors. It was his fourth season in the bigs, after a 19-game cup of coffee in '04 and an 88-game Rookie of the Year-winning campaign in '05.

What's the most home runs anyone has ever hit in a single game? ›

Oil Cities catcher Jay J. Clarke went 8-8 with eight home runs, a single-game professional record. Game played away from Corsicana's home park to avoid blue laws.

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