Watch Shohei Ohtani hit record-breaking 40th home run.
Shohei Ohtani just keeps getting better and better.
Watch the Angels slugger hit his record-setting 4Oth home run on Wednesday against the Detroit Tigers.
No other player in baseball has gotten to 40 this year. In fact, Ohtani is a full five homers ahead of Vlad Guerrero Jr. in second place in the standings.
Shohei Ohtani is the first MLB player to 40 home runs this season.
Ohtani’s incredible season was already filled with records on records. He’s the quickest player in Angels history to hit 40 moonshots in a season.
He’s also the first player in franchise history with 40 home runs and 15 stolen bases in a season, per Jared Tims.
Those achievements alone would be huge for Ohtani, but he did it while also taking the mound on Wednesday. Along with his home run, he pitched eight innings with eight strikeouts and one earned run allowed.
If there has been a better individual season in baseball history, it’s hard to conceive of it.
Basically, the MVP race belongs to Ohtani and only Ohtani. There is simply no competition for this level of dominance at the plate and the mound simultaneously. The value of a 40-home-run hitter and an ace starting pitcher in one is indescribable.
As a batter, Ohtani leads the major leagues in slugging percentage. He’s batting .269/.363/.684.
As a pitcher, he’s maintained an ERA of 2.79 with a record of 7-1 going into Wednesday’s start. That’s after shaking off a difficult start. Since July 1, he has an ERA of 1.69.
It’s just a shame the Angels aren’t involved in the playoff race because Ohtani deserves the chance to put some October magic on his already absurd resume. He’ll have to wait for that and save some of his ridiculous ability for later.