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07/08 00:25 CDT Shohei Ohtani hits his 300th career homer, becoming first
Japanese-born MLB player to reach mark
Shohei Ohtani hits his 300th career homer, becoming first Japanese-born MLB
player to reach mark
By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --- Shohei Ohtani hit his 300th career homer on Tuesday night,
a leadoff shot against Colorado Rockies pitcher Michael Lorenzen that made him
the first Japanese-born player in the majors to reach the milestone.
The Los Angeles Dodgers' two-way superstar blasted a 409-foot line drive to
center on a 2-0 pitch for his 20th homer of the season. Center fielder Cole
Carrigg could only watch it fly out.
"It was quite the homer," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "It was 119 (mph
exit velocity) off the bat, low-launching, it was squared up, got out in a
hurry. I just marvel at him every day. Three hundred is a big number."
Ohtani is the fifth-fastest in history to reach 300 and the 170th member of the
club. It took him 1,102 games between playing for the Los Angeles Angels and
Dodgers; New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was the quickest at 955 games.
It was Ohtani's 31st career leadoff homer and seventh this season. He also
homered in the Dodgers' 8-7 victory in 11 innings on Monday night to highlight
a 3-for-4 performance.
Roberts believes there's a lot more homers within reach for Ohtani, who turned
32 last Sunday.
"He just had a birthday, still young, still strong, so I definitely think 500
is in his future," the manager said.
Teammate Freddie Freeman bowed as Ohtani made his way back to the dugout.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
