Shohei Ohtani Hits 10th Home Run of the Season, Reaches 700 Career MLB RBIs

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani hit his 10th home run of the season today. This marks his 6th consecutive season with double-digit home runs. Ohtani also became the third Japanese player in history, following Hideki Matsui and Ichiro Suzuki, to reach 700 career MLB RBIs. According to reports from NHK and the Yomiuri Shimbun, Ohtani started as a 'two-way' player in the previous game and hit a solo home run in his first at-bat against fellow countryman Tomoyuki Sugano. In this game, Ohtani served as the leadoff hitter and designated hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies. In the bottom of the 1st inning, Ohtani faced Phillies starting pitcher Zachary Wheeler, who was 4-0 this season, and struck out in his first at-bat. In the bottom of the 3rd inning, with the Dodgers leading 2-0, Ohtani appeared for his second at-bat with one out and no runners on base. He locked onto a low-angle forkball thrown by Wheeler and hit a home run to right field, adding another run for the team. This solo home run had an exit velocity of 160.7 km/h and a launch angle of 27 degrees. In the bottom of the 5th inning, Ohtani mastered a breaking ball in his third at-bat and hit a single to center field. This momentum continued into the bottom of the 8th inning, where Ohtani faced a relief pitcher from the Phillies in his fourth at-bat and hit the first pitch for a single to center field. He finished the game with 3 hits in 4 at-bats and 1 RBI. This was Ohtani's fourth 3-hit game of the season since the 7th of this month, raising his batting average to .279 after the game. Dodgers starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski pitched 7 innings, allowing only 1 hit and 1 run, delivering a strong performance to earn his 7th win of the season (2 losses). The Dodgers ultimately defeated the Phillies 4-2, extending their winning streak to 6 games. Ohtani moved to the Major Leagues in 2018, and today's home run means that in the 9 seasons he has played in MLB so far, he has reached double-digit home runs in 8 of them. This solo home run today also announced Ohtani's 700th career MLB RBI, making him the third Japanese player to achieve this record after Hideki Matsui and Ichiro Suzuki.