Sports

In Major League Baseball, Ohtani ties Matsui for the most home runs by a player of Japanese descent with his 175th blast

Ichiro Suzuki is the only other Japanese-born player to reach the century mark in home runs with 117.

Shohei Ohtani’s 175th home run in the majors was not only a milestone, it was record-tying.

Ohtani equaled Hideki Matsui for the most homers by a Japanese-born player with a solo shot during the first inning of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ game against the San Diego Padres on Friday night.

“I’m happy personally. It’s an honor to be on the same page as him,” Ohtani said through an interpreter after the Dodgers’ 8-7 loss in 11 innings. “He’s known as a power hitter, left-handed hitter like me. It’s just an honor to be able to be associated with somebody like that.”

Ohtani drove an elevated outside fastball from Michael King 403 feet into the center-field stands with one out, for his fourth homer of the season.

On Friday afternoon, a federal judge in Los Angeles ordered Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s former longtime interpreter, to undergo gambling addiction treatment in a sports betting case stemming from allegations he stole $16 million from Ohtani’s bank account to pay off debts.

In a group interview with reporters after the game, Ohtani did not take questions about the investigation.

A Dodgers public relations staff member said, “We’re talking about baseball.”

Local

Get Los Angeles’s latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here’s your go-to source for today’s LA news.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the game that Ohtani has handled the situation “with flying colors. He’s done a great job of just focusing on playing baseball and not letting it be a distraction for him.”

Ohtani went 3 for 5 in the 8-7 loss to the Padres in 11 innings. He is batting .457 (16-for-35) during his eight-game hitting streak, including four homers, 12 extra-base hits and seven RBIs.

“He really seemed tonight just like he always has each day. And it’s a credit to him. He’s really unflappable,” Roberts said after the game.

A two-time AL MVP, Ohtani signed a $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers during the offseason after six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels.

Matsui played 10 seasons in the majors from 2003-12. His first seven years were with the New York Yankees followed by one season apiece with the Angels, Oakland and Tampa Bay.

“Mr. Matsui was a star player when I was a kid and then Shohei-san tied those numbers, it’s an amazing thing,” Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto said.

Ichiro Suzuki is the only other Japanese-born player to reach the century mark in home runs with 117.

“Obviously, it’s a big deal in the Japanese baseball industry as well. So I’m going to look forward to the next one,” Ohtani said.

Related Posts

“[Greg Norman] Would Go Absolutely Apesh*t at Me”: Ex-Caddie, Who Claimed Tiger Woods Treated Him Like a “Slave”, Once Revealed

You might know Steve Williams as a former caddie for Tiger Woods. He was on Woods’s bag from 1999 to 2011. During their time together, Woods won 63 PGA Tour…

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s golf league announces new recruit who will play defining role

TGL, the tech-infused golf league being pioneered by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, will launch in just a few months and fans have been given a glimpse at…

Amanda Balionis reveals she was left shaking over Tiger Woods interview which caused her to lose sleep

Amanda Balionis revealed that she was visibly shaking when she first interviewed Tiger Woods early into her days as a reporter for the PGA Tour. Speaking to Links Magazine, Balionis recalled…

Tom Kim issues apology after criticism from golf fans for breaking unwritten PGA Tour rule

Tom Kim has issued an apology after the PGA Tour star was criticized for hitting his putter into a green during the final round of the FedEx St….

‘Losing to [Phil Mickelson] Doesn’t Feel Very Good’: Tiger Woods Exposed Tense Equation With LIV Golfer Years Before Their Rift

In the field of golf, there is no doubt that one of the most exciting rivalries that has been witnessed is that between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Their rivalry in…

Oregon football head coach Dan Lanning receives Tiger Woods text about hole-in-one

Dan Lanning recently made his first hole-in-one at the Pebble Beach Par-3 course. Dan Lanning and his Oregon football team will begin their 2024 season on August 31st at home against…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *