Shohei Ohtani of the LA Angels hit his 38th solo home run of the season after four games, becoming the first Japanese player to homer against all 30 MLB teams. Ohtani, batting leadoff as the designated hitter, homered to right field in his third at-bat during the 5th inning of a road game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
This home run against the Cardinals marked his 209th career MLB home run, a milestone that makes him the first Japanese player to hit home runs against all 30 MLB teams. The game against the National League Central’s Cardinals marked Shohei Ohtani’s 11th career appearance against the team.
It was also Ohtani’s first home run at Busch Stadium, making it the 28th ballpark where he has hit a home run. The only remaining ballparks where he hasn’t homered yet are LoanDepot Park (Miami Marlins), Great American Ball Park (Cincinnati Reds), Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia Phillies), and Chase Field (Arizona Diamondbacks). Across both Japan and the U.S., Ohtani has now homered in 38 different stadiums, surpassing Japanese legends like Ichiro Suzuki, Kenji Johjima, Kosuke Fukudome, and Nori Aoki to set the record for the most stadiums a Japanese player has homered in.
Although he hit just six home runs in July, Ohtani has picked up his home run pace in August, with six home runs in 15 games. His 38th home run in the team’s 124th game puts him on pace for 49.6 home runs this season, making his first 50-home run season increasingly likely. Additionally, Ohtani has 37 stolen bases, putting him in a position to not only join the historical 40 home runs & 40 stolen bases (40-40) club but also potentially achieve an unprecedented 50 home runs & 50 stolen bases (50-50).
Shohei Ohtani’s Yearly Home Run Totals:
2018: 22 home runs
2019: 18 home runs
2020: 7 home runs
2021: 46 home runs
2022: 34 home runs
2023: 44 home runs
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