Shohei Ohtani continues to leave his mark on the game. And he's not even 30...
With Saturday's blast to centerfield, the Japanese-born superstar not only became the MLB's new home run leader, but also made some history in the process.
Per ESPN Stats & Info, "Shohei Ohtani has his 150th career MLB home run. He required the 4th-fewest games played (652) to reach 150 HR and 75 SB in MLB history, trailing only: Willie Mays (598), Jose Canseco (630) and Alex Rodriguez (646)."
Ohtani got a hold of an 88 MPH pitch from Taylor Clarke and sent it souring over the Kauffman Stadium wall. This one didn't stand a chance:
The former American League MVP is batting .301 through 70 games with 23 home runs, 55 RBIs and counting. He's also posted a 6-2 record on the mound with 3.29 ERA, 1.049 WHIP and 105 strikeouts to just 35 walks.
Going into the game, Halos manager Phil Nevin said he thought Ohtani was robbed of last season's Most Valuable Player Award and that he believes the two-time All-Star should be going for his third straight:
"I said this last year, and Aaron Judge is like a son to me, but until somebody does it on both sides of the ball, [Ohtani] should be MVP," Nevin admitted to MLB.com. "I mean, what was the difference between two years ago [when Ohtani won MVP] and last year? Somebody has to explain that to me because he was even better last year and didn't win it."
Hard to imagine Ohtani isn't the frontrunner with the All-Star Break nearing.