For most of Sunday’s game against the Diamondbacks, Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani looked human. Entering his fourth plate appearance, the three-time All-Star was 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts and a routine flyout. Then, MLB’s home run leader showed why he’s become the most feared hitter in the game.
Ohtani unleashed his otherworldly power on a hanging slider from Arizona’s Kyle Nelson, crushing the ball deep into the right field stands for his 31st home run of the season. Statcast measured the blast at 454 feet and with an exit velocity of 115.4 miles per hour, with the ball landing in one of the tunnels of the elevated stands about 20 rows deep.
Like clockwork.
— MLB (@MLB) July 2, 2023
Shohei Ohtani launches his 31st homer of the season! pic.twitter.com/OLw9ASpLwE
If anyone can make a 454-foot home run seem pedestrian, it’s Ohtani, who just two days earlier launched a ball into orbit that clocked in at a whopping 493 feet, which stands as the longest home run of Ohtani’s career and the farthest dinger by any player this season.
That blast capped a historic June for the 2021 American League MVP, who posted a ridiculous .394/.492/.952 slash line with 15 home runs in 27 games. He also went 2–2 on the mound with a 3.26 ERA and 37 strikeouts in five starts.
Just two days into the new month and it appears that Ohtani is set for a productive July as well. He was named to the AL All-Star roster as a starting pitcher on Sunday after being voted in by the fans as the game’s starting designated hitter.
