ドジャース大谷おおや翔しょう平たいら 16号ごうホームラン 両りょうリーグ通つうじ単独たんどくトップに

Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers hit his 16th home run in three consecutive games against the Angels on the 16th, making him the sole leader in home runs across both leagues.

In the previous game, Ohtani hit home runs in two consecutive at-bats, bringing his season total to 15 and tying him for the league lead. On the 16th, he started as the leadoff designated hitter in the first game of a three-game series against his former team, the Angels, at home in Los Angeles.

In his first at-bat in the first inning, Ohtani caught a sharp outside pitch and sent it to center field for a hit, reaching base for the third consecutive game.

The third inning, in which they were trailing by two runs, saw No. 9 hitter Kim Hye-seong get on base with a hit after two outs, bringing Ohtani up for his second at-bat.

In a situation where a home run would have tied the game, Ohtani, after getting behind in the count, kept fouling off pitches and managed to draw a walk to extend the opportunity, but the second batter, Betts, was retired and they couldnt score.

In the fifth inning, with the score at 1-4, he came up for his third at-bat with one out and a runner on first. He got under a high changeup on the outside and grounded into a double play to second.

In his fourth at-bat in the eighth inning, with one out and no runners on base, he swung at a low inside cut fastball and hit his 16th solo home run of the season to deep center, closing the gap to 2-4.

Distance: 131

9 meters, batted ball speed 184

With a powerful 9-kilometer hit, it’s his first time this season hitting home runs in three consecutive games.

With this, his home run count reached 16, surpassing Yankees Judge and Phillies Schwarber, making Ohtani the sole leader in both leagues.

Ohtani had 2 hits in 3 at-bats with 1 RBI and 1 walk in this game, raising his batting average to .316.

In the ninth inning, the Dodgers relief pitcher allowed additional runs, resulting in a 2-6 loss and ending their winning streak at two.

Ohtanis incredible exit velocity supports his strong performance—so far this month, in 14 games, hes batting .375 with 9 home runs and 19 RBIs, showing improved form. At this pace, hes on track for 57 home runs this season, surpassing his personal best of 54 from last season.

What supports his strong performance is his phenomenal exit velocity, which averages 155 km/h this season—the highest among all Major League players.

9 strikeouts, matching his personal best from last season, 154

Another 1 for 1 kilo

Im updating 8 kilometers.

For this reason, 66% of Ohtanis batted balls this season are classified as so-called hard hits, meaning they exceed 152 km/h, which is also the highest among all players.

The hard-hit rate is currently 57% even for Yankees Judge, whose batting average exceeds .400, but Ohtani surpasses that, accurately hitting the sweet spot of the bat on the ball at a rate of nearly two out of every three times.

Ohtani has been the type to hit his stride in the summer, winning Player of the Month awards in June and July of both 2021 and 2023, but this year it seems hes already in full swing.

Before the game, Ohtani interacted with his former Angels teammates. After finishing his pre-game catch during practice, he crossed the field to join the Angels players, where he enjoyed a friendly conversation and rekindled old friendships with a smile.

Ward, Adell, General Manager Minasian, and other former colleagues exchanged hugs, and then took about five minutes to walk around the Angels bench before leaving.

Matches against the American League’s Angels in the regular season, including today, are scheduled for a total of six games.

In games against his former team, Ohtani hit 2 home runs and recorded 5 RBIs in 4 games last season.