Baseball

Shohei Ohtani Hits 176 MLB Homers; the Most by a Japanese-Born Player Surpassing Hideki Matsui

Jiji Press
Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani hits a two-run home run against the New York Mets during the third inning at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:34 JST, April 22, 2024

LOS ANGELES ― Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani hit his 176th MLB home run on Sunday at home against the New York Mets, surpassing Hideki Matsui for most home runs by a Japan-born player.

Matsui, who played for the New York Yankees and other teams, hit 175 home runs in his 5,066 plate appearances, while Ohtani, 29, hit his 176th in his 2,979th plate appearance.

“I recently learned how much Matsui-san had actually hit. Since then, I set [his record] as my goal and wanted to hit [that many] as soon as possible,” Ohtani said after the game. “Personally, it was a special hit, but the season will keep going, and I want to switch my mind and move on to the next game.”