In his first game at Nationals Park, Shohei Ohtani slammed a 450-foot home run into the right field’s second deck, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers secure a 4-1 victory over Washington on Tuesday night.
Ohtani’s sixth home run of the season was his hardest hit ever, reaching a speed of 118.7 mph. It also marked the hardest-hit homer for a Dodgers player since Statcast started tracking data in 2015.
The solo shot in the ninth inning, off Matt Barnes, widened the Dodgers’ lead to 4-1, following runs by pinch-hitter James Outman and Miguel Rojas in the previous inning.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts praised Ohtani’s remarkable feat, highlighting his ability to control the strike zone and the game-changing impact of his bat.
Ohtani, currently leading the majors with a batting average of .364, extended his hitting streak to eight games and reached a milestone of 177 career home runs. His recent homer on Sunday made him the Japanese-born player with the most homers in MLB history, surpassing Hideki Matsui.
Outman, replacing Kiké Hernández, hit a double off Hunter Harvey’s splitter in the eighth, scoring Teoscar Hernández from second base and breaking the 1-1 tie. Rojas then followed with a single to bring in another run.
Dodgers starter James Paxton struggled a bit, needing 89 pitches to last 4 2/3 innings, giving up one run on five hits.
