Shohei Ohtani crushed a 117.9 mile-per-hour home run in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ win over the Miami Marlins on Monday, carving out even more real estate in the franchise history books.
Shohei Ohtani made history the last time the Los Angeles Dodgers visited the Miami Marlins, establishing the 50-50 club at loanDepot Park in September.
Ohtani showed he was still plenty comfortable down in South Beach on Monday, making more history in the process.
After striking out in the first, then drawing a walk and stealing a base in the third, Ohtani stepped up to the plate with a man aboard in the fifth. The 30-year-old designated hitter worked his way to a full count, then crushed a 117.9 mile-per-hour line drive off of former NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcántara.
Ohtani’s missile cleared the fence, putting Los Angeles on top 5-0.
MLB.com’s Sarah Langs noted that Ohtani now accounts for each of the Dodgers’ 13 hardest-hit balls since the Statcast Era began in 2015. The one he hit Monday slotted in at No. 5 on that list, faster than any other ball he had hit this season.
Ohtani’s nine career home runs of 117-plus miles per hour are the third-most by any player in the Statcast Era, per Langs. Aaron Judge has 10, while Giancarlo Stanton has 22.
Ohtani is batting .292 with a .984 OPS and 1.6 WAR through 33 games this season. The reigning NL MVP is currently on pace for 42 home runs, 46 stolen bases and 60 RBIs.
The Dodgers, who improved to an MLB-best 8-1 since April 26 with a 7-4 victory on Monday, are slated to continue their series with the Marlins at 6:40 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
The Dodgers’ biggest player waited for their smallest one in the visiting dugout at LoanDepot Park on Monday night.
There, in a moment of joy captured by television broadcast cameras, the two shared a celebratory mid-game embrace.
Like many Asian-born players of his generation, Hyeseong Kim has long looked up to Shohei Ohtani. At first it was from afar, Kim following the Japanese superstar closely while beginning his own career in the Korean Baseball Organization. Then, this winter, the pair became coincidental training partners, occasionally working out at the same Southern California facility together as Kim (who, like Ohtani, is represented by Creative Artists Agency) prepared for his own move to the major leagues.
Kim ultimately signed with the Dodgers, even though the speedy 5-foot-10 infielder likely could have secured more money and regular playing time elsewhere. One of the main appeals was the opportunity to play alongside Ohtani and the club’s collection of other big-name talent.
In the Dodgers’ 7-4 win over the Miami Marlins on Monday, Kim finally got that chance, sharing a starting lineup with Ohtani for the first time since being called up to the big leagues last week.
And during the top of the fifth inning, the two co-starred in a sequence that put the game out of reach — Kim collecting his first MLB hit on a leadoff single, before Ohtani launched a home run that made the score 5-0.
After Ohtani rounded the bases, Kim was the first to greet him, sharing a high-five near the on-deck circle. Back in the dugout, it was Ohtani’s turn to return the favor, putting his hands on his new teammate’s helmet while cracking a wide smile and jumping up and down.
