Shohei Ohtani hit his 100th career home run during the Los Angeles Angels’ win over the Oakland As on Saturday night. He is the third Japanese player in MLB history to hit 100 home runs, NBC Sports reports.
Shohei Ohtani is the second player in MLB history to hit 100 home runs and pitch at least 250 strikeouts. The first player was Babe Ruth.
The home run came off a pitch from A’s right-hander Adam Oller in the fifth inning, MLB.com reports. It was a two-run homer that helped the Angels to a 9-1 victory.
Ohtani hit 46 of his first 99 career home runs last season, according to CBS Sports. He hit 22 home runs during his 2018 rookie season. Unfortunately, he spent much of the 2019 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. He still hit 18 home runs.
His past struggles with injuries are keeping him focused this season.
“One hundred is a big number and I’m proud of it, but it’s early in the season, so that’s what I’m focused on right now,” Ohtani said through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, according to MLB.com. “I just want to keep it going. Early in my career, I went through a lot of injuries and surgeries, but I made it back strong and I’m planning on hitting more and trying to get better.”
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