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Shohei Ohtani Got So Distracted Watching His Own Home Run He Almost Missed First Base

The National League superstar's 24th home run even had Ohtani himself stopping to watch.

Josh Wilson

Jun 25, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 25, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
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Even though Shohei Ohtani, known as a two-way superstar, is limited to just offense this year as he recovers from an elbow surgery keeping him from pitching in 2024, his offense alone is enough to put you in a trance. Even Ohtani was caught staring on Tuesday night.

The Los Angeles Dodgers star Ohtani gave Chicago White Sox pitcher Chris Flexen a tough start to the night, sending his fifth pitch of the game out of the park to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. As he jogged down the base path, Ohtani was looking at the ball's path and almost forgot to step on first base. After moving toward second, he stopped and went back to first base to make sure he made contact.

"Just wasn't quite sure that I stepped on the bag," he said after the game through an interpreter, according to ESPN.

There was good reason for Ohtani to keep his eye on the ball, since it wasn't exactly a no-doubter. The ball went off the bat at 93.8 miles per hour (his slowest hit home run of the year) with a launch angle of 31 degrees according to Statcast data. The hit had an xBA of just .180 and was a home run in only nine of 30 MLB ballparks. It was just the second home run Ohtani has hit on a curveball so far this season.

In addition to leading the National League in home runs, he leads in batting average, is third in RBI, and second in hits.

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Josh Wilson
JOSH WILSON

Josh Wilson is the news director of the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in 2024, he worked for FanSided in a variety of roles, most recently as senior managing editor of the brand’s flagship site. He has also served as a general manager of Sportscasting, the sports arm of a start-up sports media company, where he oversaw the site’s editorial and business strategy. Wilson has a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from SUNY Cortland and a master’s in accountancy from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois. He loves a good nonfiction book and enjoys learning and practicing Polish. Wilson lives in Chicago but was raised in upstate New York. He spent most of his life in the Northeast and briefly lived in Poland, where he ate an unhealthy amount of pastries for six months.

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