LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit his 300th career homer on Tuesday night, a leadoff shot against Colorado Rockies pitcher Michael Lorenzen that made him the first Japanese-born player in the majors to reach the milestone.
The Los Angeles Dodgers' two-way superstar blasted a 409-foot line drive to center on a 2-0 pitch for his 20th homer of the season. Center fielder Cole Carrigg could only watch it fly out.
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“It was quite the homer,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It was 119 (mph exit velocity) off the bat, low-launching, it was squared up, got out in a hurry. I just marvel at him every day. Three hundred is a big number."
Ohtani is the fifth-fastest in history to reach 300 and the 170th member of the club. It took him 1,102 games between playing for the Los Angeles Angels and Dodgers; New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was the quickest at 955 games.
It was Ohtani's 31st career leadoff homer and seventh this season. He also homered in the Dodgers' 8-7 victory in 11 innings on Monday night to highlight a 3-for-4 performance.
Roberts believes there's a lot more homers within reach for Ohtani, who turned 32 last Sunday.
“He just had a birthday, still young, still strong, so I definitely think 500 is in his future,” the manager said.
Teammate Freddie Freeman bowed as Ohtani made his way back to the dugout.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
