Los Angeles Angels' Shohei Ohtani Will Join Japanese Legend in History with Next Home Run
What more can you say about Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani? Really? The guy is one of the best pitchers in the league, and one of the best hitters in the league. He's one of the fastest runners in the league. He does it all in a way that we've never seen.
He seemingly makes history every night, and he's set to do it again, maybe even as early as Saturday.
Per ESPN Stats & Info:
Shohei Ohtani is seeking his 150th career HR Saturday. Ohtani would join Hideki Matsui (175) as the only Japanese-born players with 150 HR
This will undoubtedly be an important milestone for Ohtani, who clearly values his country's baseball lineage. He helped Team Japan win the World Baseball Classic this March and has showed reverence for Ichiro Suzuki on multiple instances.
He's on a tear right now for the red-hot Angels. Ohtani has a 13-game hitting streak and is now hitting .301 with 22 homers (tied for majors lead) and 54 RBI. He's also stolen 10 bases.
On the mound, he's 6-2 with a 3.29 ERA. He's struck out a whopping 105 batters in just 82 innings.
As for Matsui, he spent 10 years in the majors after coming over for Japan. He played seven years for the New York Yankees and one each for the Angels, A's and Rays.
He was a two-time All-Star who helped the Yankees win the 2009 World Series. He was a lifetime .282 hitter who amassed more than 1,250 hits in the majors.
The Angels are now 40-32 on the season and tied for second in the American League West. They have won eight of their last 10 games.
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