Sports

Shohei Ohtani Continues Hitting Tear as Dodgers Triumph Over Twins

In the past five games, Shohei Ohtani had 11 hits in 22 at-bats. He also moved within one homer of tying Hideki Matsui's MLB career record for Japanese players.

Published

3 weeks ago

April 9, 2024

Ed Odeven

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani slugs a solo homer in the seventh inning against the Minnesota Twins on April 8, 2024, in Minneapolis. (KYODO)

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Shohei Ohtani belted his third home run of the season on Monday, April 8 and continued his hot hitting of late in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 4-2 road win over the Minnesota Twins.

Ohtani finished 3-for-5 with a pair of runs. He hit doubles in the first inning and sixth inning off Bailey Ober and Steven Okert, respectively, in the series opener at Target Field. His solo blast off losing pitcher Jay Jackson, a former NPB pitcher, in the seventh was the 174th of his MLB career, one shy of Hideki Matsui's record for a Japanese player.

"I think it's a special number (175), so of course I want to hit it as soon as possible," Ohtani was quoted as saying by Kyodo News.

Ohtani also stretched his multi-hit streak to five games. In that span, the native of Iwate Prefecture is 11-for-22, including four doubles, a triple and three homers. He raised his batting average to .345 by the end of Monday's game.

In Awe of Ohtani's Batting Skills

After watching Ohtani from the dugout, Dodgers starter James Paxton (2-0) marveled at his Japanese teammate's powerful swing.

"If he puts the barrel on the ball, it's coming off at 105-plus [miles per hour]. It's pretty amazing, just how hard he swings and just how hard he hits the ball," Paxton said, according to The Associated Press. "I'm glad to have him on my side."

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Author: Ed Odeven

Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.