Just about everything Shohei Ohtani does on a baseball field is beyond impressive. It turns out even his foul balls are enough to capture the attention of fans.
On Sunday, during the Angels’ clash against the Astros, Ohtani narrowly missed a home run early in the game, ripping a hard line drive that just drifted past the foul pole.
The ball was absolutely smacked, evidenced by the near cannon-like sound it made as the slugger made contact with the ball. It left the bat at a speed of 116.4 mph, according to Statcast, and it was actually one of two narrowly-missed home runs during his at-bat.
MLB fans were in disbelief over the sheer sound of Ohtani’s booming foul ball, and while all it truly counted for was a strike against him, his power left plenty of impressed reactions across social media.
The sound of this foul ball off Ohtani's bat 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/n5HehOgqP4
— ESPN (@espn) July 16, 2023
they are showing highlights of foul balls 😂😂😂😂 this guy is incredible https://t.co/5QTApXGpY2
— The Process Protector (@FraMandarano) July 17, 2023
I get it that there are microphones and stuff but come on Otani's swing just makes a different sound and it's beautiful https://t.co/UDNCubdChw
— Mr. Big Lawyer Boy (@foxonabox_) July 16, 2023
This is the hardest I ever seen anyone hit a baseball https://t.co/L5JasFojnU
— Hobie Brown Stan Account (@If2PacHadASon) July 16, 2023
Greasiest baseball player ever https://t.co/8gw8TNmjKH
— 𓃵 ∞ (@ThatCarlos_) July 16, 2023
Best sound in sports https://t.co/veYgHcV393
— Eric Himmelheber (@erichimmelheber) July 16, 2023
Ohtani is different. https://t.co/joRBroSBz8
— Cory Stooksbury (@Cory_Lawrence) July 16, 2023