Ohtani Hits 120 Mph Homer Rocket, Reaches 100 with Dodgers

Summary:

• Shohei Ohtani hit a 120 mph home run off Pirates rookie Bubba Chandler, the hardest ball of his career.
• The blast was his 100th homer as a Los Angeles Dodger, turning him into the third fastest to reach that mark with a team since 1900.
• The Dodgers fell 9-7 to the Pirates after bullpen struggles.

In Tuesday night’s third inning of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 9-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park, Shotei Ohtani crushed a solo home run off rookie Bubba Chandler. The star player’s ball left his bat at a staggering speed of 120 mph, which turned it into the hardest-hit ball of his career as well as the hardest by any Dodger player since Statcast started tracking a decade ago.

Manager Dave Roberts said.

It’s loud. I didn’t appreciate how hard it was off the bat, but it got out pretty quick. For most guys it’s a single, but for him it’s a homer.

The rocket to right field carried more meaning than just exit velocity, marking the 31-year-old player’s 100th home run as a Dodger, a milestone he reached faster than almost anyone in history.

According to Elias Sports Bureau, he’s only the fourth player to hit 100 homers in his first two seasons with a franchise, joining Babe Ruth (Yankees), Alex Rodriguez (Rangers), and Roger Maris (Yankees).

Ohtani only needed 294 games to get there, making him the third fastest to do so among players debuting since 1900. Only Mark McGwire at 230 games and Ruth at 250 reached the mark quicker, with Rodriguez needing 295.

Mookie Betts said

At this point, there’s not much more he can do to amaze me. It’s just another homer for Shohei.

Ohtani also owns the Dodgers’ 15 hardest-hit balls in the Statcast era, postseason included, while his 120 mph rocket ranks as the sixth-hardest home run ever tracked. The top spot belongs to Pittsburgh’s own Oneil Cruz, who ripped a 122.9 mph blast earlier this season.

On the year, Ohtani now has 46 home runs, third in the majors behind Cal Raleigh (51) and Kyle Schwarber (49). Remarkably, 42 of those have come from the leadoff spot, surpassing Ronald Acuña Jr.’s single-season record of 41.

While Ohtani’s shot briefly brought Los Angeles back to life, it wasn’t enough. After Clayton Kershaw surrendered four runs in the first, Ohtani managed to trim the deficit to two. Andy Pages tied the game in the fourth, but the bullpen couldn’t hold off Don Kelly’s Pirates.

Roberts added,

That’s the thing. I thought that there were different points in the game that we showed some life. And then, unfortunately, we just couldn’t kind of put up that zero to build off of it.

The defeat, however, prevented the Dodgers from extending their lead in the National League West and closing ground on the Phillies.