Shohei Ohtani, the standout for the Los Angeles Dodgers, has secured his place as the top home run hitter among Japanese-born players in Major League Baseball history. During Sunday’s game at Dodger Stadium, Ohtani crushed a hanging breaking ball from New York Mets’ Adrian Houser, sending it soaring halfway up the bleachers for a two-run homer. This blast marked his 176th MLB home run, breaking the tie with Hideki Matsui.
Expressing his joy, Ohtani remarked, “I’m happy personally. It’s an honor to be on the same stage as him, and obviously, it’s a big deal in the Japanese baseball industry. So I’m going to look forward to the next one.”
It took Ohtani 2,979 plate appearances to hit his 176th MLB home run, while Matsui needed 5,066 plate appearances to reach 175 homers. Ichiro Suzuki holds the third spot with 117 home runs in MLB, with no other Japanese-born player hitting even 50 homers in the big leagues.
Matsui, with 508 career home runs, outshines Ohtani in terms of overall career homers, having hit 331 home runs with the Yomiuri Giants before his MLB career. Ohtani, who hit 48 home runs with the Nippon Ham Fighters, has a combined total of 224 home runs between Japan and MLB, with many more seasons ahead.
Ohtani’s fifth homer of 2024 places him among the ranks of notable Dodgers sluggers. The only Japanese-born player with more homers as a Dodger is Ohtani’s manager, Dave Roberts, who hit seven homers with the team.
At 29, Ohtani boasts an impressive batting line of .359/.419/.630, leading the league in doubles, extra-base hits, and total bases.
