Shohei Ohtani achieved another milestone in his unique career: he became the first player to both win a game and hit a home run in All-Star history.
“I haven’t performed well in past All-Star Games, so I’m glad I was able to make good contact tonight,” Ohtani said through an interpreter after his three-run homer put the National League ahead briefly in a 5-3 loss to the American League.
Ohtani had previously struggled at the plate in All-Star Games, going 1 for 4 with two walks and a strikeout in three previous appearances. As the first player selected as both a pitcher and hitter in three consecutive All-Star Games through 2023, he earned a win during the 2021 game at Denver’s Coors Field.
Ohtani drew a walk in the first inning against Baltimore’s Corbin Burnes. In the third inning, he stepped up to bat after Jurickson Profar singled and Ketel Marte reached base on a hard-hit ball that deflected off second baseman Marcus Semien at 109.5 mph.
Facing a 2-0 count from Tanner Houck, Ohtani drove a splitter over the middle of the plate, sending the ball 400 feet into the right-field seats for his first All-Star home run.
“I was really focused on having a typical at-bat as if it were a regular season game,” Ohtani explained.
Against Houck, Ohtani now has a career record of 1 for 5 with three walks. He previously hit an RBI single against Houck while pitching for the Los Angeles Angels in an 8-0 win over Boston on May 5, 2022.
Houck analyzed the All-Star homer as a “splitter, down the middle,” noting that a slight adjustment in location might have made a difference.
Currently hitting .316 with 29 home runs, 69 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Ohtani became the first Dodgers player to homer in an All-Star Game since Mike Piazza in 1996 at Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium.
A four-time All-Star who played just 11 days after his 30th birthday, Ohtani made his debut with the NL team after leaving the Angels to sign a record-breaking $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers. This season, he is focusing solely on hitting due to elbow surgery last September, foregoing pitching duties.
