Baseball

Shohei Ohtani Clubs Team-Record 14th Home Run of Month

AP Photo / Ashley Landis
Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani reacts after hitting a home run during the ninth inning of a game against the Chicago White Sox in Anaheim, Calif., on Thursday.

By Toshiaki Obitsu / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

13:33 JST, June 30, 2023

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Shohei Ohtani rewrote his own franchise record for home runs in a month when he belted his 14th homer of June in the host Los Angeles Angels’ 9-7 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Thursday.

Ohtani, batting third as the designated hitter, cracked a two-run homer in the ninth inning to surpass the team record of 13 for a month that he hit in June 2021 and shared with several others. He finished that season with 46.

Ohtani followed a two-out single by Mike Trout by belting a slider off Kendall Graveman into the left-center field seats for his major league-leading 29th home run of the season. He also walked twice in five trips to the plate.