Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani hit the 176th home run of his major league career Sunday, breaking a tie with Hideki Matsui for the most by a Japanese-born player.
Ohtani's No. 176, off New York Mets right-hander Adrian Houser, was a no-doubter as soon as the ball left his bat at Dodger Stadium. The two-run homer went deep into the seats in right-center field, giving the Dodgers a 2-0 lead in the third inning of what would eventually be a 10-0 victory.
The 2023 American League home run leader raised his season home run total to five.
"His presence, his ability as a player, he's just a great player," said Matsui, the 2009 World Series MVP with the New York Yankees. "The numbers on my end are just not comparable."
Ohtani added a single in an eight-run fifth inning and finished the day 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored.
In Japan, Ohtani hit a total of 48 home runs for the Nippon Ham Fighters between 2013 and 2017.
On the all-time home run list for Japanese major leaguers, Ichiro Suzuki, who spent most of his illustrious career with the Seattle Mariners, is third with 117.
