Shohei Ohtani (30, LA Dodgers) created another monumental home run. Ohtani drew another monumental parabola in the sky at National Park in Washington DC during an away game against the Washington Nationals on the 24th. Ohtani, who played as the number 2 designated hitter, became the leadoff hitter in the top of the 9th inning with a 3-1 lead, and turned his bat without hesitation when Nationals right-handed pitcher Matt Barnes’ splitter hit the middle. The moment it hits, you feel like it’s a home run. The moment pitcher Barnes was hit, he turned his head and sighed. The distance is about 137 and the batting speed is about 191km per hour. It was a ball hit so fast and big that the Nationals outfielders couldn’t move a single step. The batted ball that Otani made up his mind hit the outfield seats on the second floor of National Park. According to MLB.com, Ohtani’s sixth home run of the season was the fastest home run hit by a Dodgers hitter since Statcast was created in 2015. The 12th fastest batted ball in the entire major league.
Ohtani will not be on the mound this season due to elbow surgery, but his performance is already at MVP level. He is first in batting average (0.364), slugging percentage (0.677), OPS (1.107), which combines on-base percentage and slugging percentage, and most hits (36) and doubles (11). His on-base percentage (0.430) is second only to teammate Mookie Betts, and he also ranks in the top 10 in runs scored (20, 5th) and stolen bases (5). Among these, the batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage exceed the records set in 2023, when he won the American League MVP while wearing the LA Angels uniform. The only weakness that Ohtani has revealed this year is his scoring average. He was 3-for-23 in scoring situations with a runner on second or more base. He has no home runs and only 5 RBIs.
By hitting a home run on the 24th, Ohtani came one closer to current Dodgers manager Dave Roberts’ record of the most home runs (7) by a Japanese-born hitter in Dodgers history. He has recorded 177 home runs as of today and is expected to surpass Korean Choo Shin-soo (SSG)’s record of 218 home runs by an Asian hitter next year.
Kim Ha-seong (29, San Diego Padres) recorded his fourth multi-hit (two or more hits) of the season in the game against the Colorado Rockies on the 24th and also succeeded in stealing once. Ha-seong Kim got on base with an infield hit in the first inning with a 2-0 lead, and immediately stole second base after hitting a left-field hit with two outs in the third inning. It was his seventh stolen base of the season, eighth overall in the majors and sixth in the National League. Kim Ha-seong, who had 2 hits in 4 at-bats, had a season batting average of 0.228. The Padres lost 4-7.
Lee Jeong-hoo (26, San Francisco Giants) had no hits in 4 at-bats in the home game against the New York Mets. His batting average dropped from 0.284 to 0.272. The Giants won 5-1, taking advantage of starter Logan Webb’s good pitching.
Coincidentally, Kim Ha-seong, Lee Jeong-hoo, and Ohtani, who represent Korea, belong to the same National League Western Division. The Dodgers, where Ohtani belongs, are in first place with 14 wins and 11 losses, and the Padres are in second place with 13 wins and 13 losses, 1.5 games away. The Giants are tied for third place with the Arizona Diamondbacks with 12 wins and 13 losses.
