Shohei Ohtani hits his hardest swing ever during Dodgers win
By Bryan Ke
Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani made history once again over the weekend by recording the hardest swing of his career and the hardest hit in MLB this season so far.
Key points:
- Ohtani unleashed a thunderous swing against Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi during their game at Rogers Center in Toronto on Saturday. The Los Angeles Dodgers won 4-2.
- Ohtani reportedly smashed a fastball from Kikuchi into right field, scoring one run and advancing another runner to second base.
- The ball’s exit velocity was recorded at 119.2 miles per hour (191.8 kilometers per hour), marking it as the hardest hit ever for the Dodgers star, both in his career and in MLB this season. Additionally, the swing was reportedly the hardest by a Dodgers player since at least 2015.
The details:
- Saturday’s spectacular swing came just a few days after Ohtani recorded a 118.7-miles-per-hour (191 kilometers per hour) home run against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday.
- Speaking through his interpreter Yusuke Oshima, Kikuchi said he threw his “best fastball this year, but the exit velocity off his bat came out pretty good, as well.” He admitted that Ohtani “got the best of me there, but I was glad I was able to get him out after that.”
- Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts praised Ohtani for his “incredibly amazing” feat, telling reporters, “The ball comes off hot, but I think for me, I’m just really impressed with the way he’s controlling the strike zone.”
- Reportedly, only five baseball players have managed exit velocities of 120 miles per hour (193.12 kilometers per hour) or greater since 2015, including Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Oneil Cruz, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Gary Sánchez.
Catching up:
- Ohtani recently broke Hideki Matsui’s record for most home runs by a Japanese-born player in MLB history. The record-breaking feat came just days after he tied the record set by his idol.
- “Honestly I was just relieved I was able to just get it over with, I was just happy I was able to do that,” Ohtani said through his new interpreter Will Ireton about the milestone at the time.
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