MLB star Shohei Ohtani joins Babe Ruth in exclusive club, passes Japanese icon Ichiro Suzuki
By Jane Nam
Major League Baseball (MLB) player Shohei Ohtani hit major milestones on Tuesday night as he helped his Los Angeles Angels team to victory, which saw him joining the likes of legend Babe Ruth and surpassing Japanese icon Ichiro Suzuki.
Ohtani, 28, not only achieved the statistic of having 10 home runs and 10 wins in the same season, which has not been reached by another player since Babe Ruth 102 years ago, but he also hit his 25th home run, bringing his total to 118 and surpassing Suzuki’s 117.
The Japanese native is far from finished, and could potentially pass former New York Yankees star Hideki Matsui, who holds the record for most home runs by a Japanese player in MLB at 175, a figure just 57 home runs away for Ohtani.
In the 5-1 game on Tuesday against the Oakland Athletics, Ohtani played a critical role in the victory as he hit a home run and pitched six innings with five strikeouts.
He is considered a rare two-way talent as not only a good hitter and fielder, but as an All-Star level pitcher as well.
“I feel like every time we’re out there he does something special,” commented Angels interim manager Phil Nevin. “Tonight is certainly another great milestone for him.”
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