LA Dodgers Shohei Otani finally surpassed ‘Godzilla’ Hideki Matsui. Now Ohtani's gaze turns to Choo Shin-soo's record. But before that, there was something Otani hoped to overcome. This is director Dave Roberts.

Ohtani started as a designated hitter twice in the 2024 Major League Baseball home match against the New York Mets held at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California on the 22nd (Korean time) and had 2 hits in 3 at-bats (1 home run), 2 RBIs, 2 runs, and 1. He showed off his unrivaled presence with walks.

In 2021, Otani created numerous records by sparking a 'dual swords' craze around the world. Of course, the records created so far are precious, but on this day, Otani created one record that was slightly more meaningful. He surpassed ‘Godzilla’ Hideki Matsui and set the record for the most home runs by a Japanese major leaguer. The monument that Matsui created in 10 years was replaced by Otani in just 7 years.

Ohtani, who signed a huge 10-year contract worth $700 million (approximately KRW 964.2 billion) to the Dodgers last winter, suffered from home runs early this season. This is because since the opening, he has not produced a single home run in 8 consecutive games. Due to this, Ohtani was unable to hit a home run for the longest time since the opening of the season since entering the big leagues, but he finally hit his first home run in the last at-bat of the match against the San Francisco Giants on the 4th. The magic gun came out in the 41st at-bat since the opening.

From this point on, Otani's batting skills began to show. Ohtani made arches in two consecutive games against the Chicago Cubs the next day, and made his third arch of the season against the Minnesota Twins on the 9th. And Ohtani fired his fourth cannon in his first at-bat against San Diego Padres starter Michael King on the 13th. With this home run, Ohtani succeeded in matching 'Godzilla' Matsui's major league record of 175 home runs. However, ahead of the new record, Ohtani's home run production stopped.

After standing side by side with Matsui, Ohtani was unable to hit a home run in seven consecutive games, starting with the match against San Diego on the 14th, continuing with the three-game series with the Washington Nationals until the previous day (21st). However, the bad trend did not last much longer. On this day, in the bottom of the 3rd inning, with the score tied 0-0, with one out and runner on first base, Ohtani's second at-bat, when New York Mets starting pitcher Adrian Houser's second pitch 81.7 mph (approximately 131.5 km) slider was driven into the middle of the strike zone, Ohtani threw the bat without hesitation. I threw it away. And I could tell that this batted ball was a home run as soon as it left the bat.

Ohtani's batted ball traveled at a whopping 110 miles (approximately 177 km), flew 423 feet (approximately 128.9 m), and went over the right wall, leading to a first-place two-run home run. 5th home run of the season. And this home run surpassed ‘Godzilla’ Matsui and became the most home run by a Japanese major leaguer of all time. Now, every home run Ohtani hits will lead to a new record. Ohtani showed off his outstanding presence by getting hits and walks even after the home run, and was at the forefront of the Dodgers' 10-0 victory, leading the team to break their losing streak.

According to Japan's Daily Sports, Otani also wanted to quickly surpass Matsui's record. When told that he had surpassed Matsui's record, Otani said, "Honestly, I am happy. It took me a while since I hit the last home run. I wanted to hit it quickly, but I am relieved and happy that I was able to hit a home run today." “I didn’t know from the beginning how many home runs Matsui could hit, but after I learned about his record recently, I made it my goal and wanted to hit it quickly,” he said with a smile.

Ohtani got into a lot of trouble recently after hitting his first home run with the Dodgers. In the process of returning the ball for his first home run, Dodgers security guards showed coercion, including threatening the fan. Of course, it wasn't Otani's fault. However, it became an even bigger topic because it was a home run hit by Ohtani. So he kept quiet this time. When asked whether he received a home run ball, Ohtani responded, "I didn't hear anything because I was playing the game."

Although Otani surpassed Matsui's home run record, there is still a record that has not been broken. This is the record for the most home runs by a Japanese member of the Dodgers. With this day's home run, Otani surpassed Hideo Nomo's (4 home runs) record, but could not surpass the record of Japanese coach Dave Roberts (7 home runs). Director Roberts, who has a Japanese mother, still maintains Japanese nationality. When asked, "Now do you want to play in the postseason like Matsui?" Ohtani wittily responded, "First of all, I want to surpass coach (Dave Roberts)'s record."

On this day, Otani led the team to victory with a home run that surpassed Matsui, and he gave the credit for the victory to starter Tyler Glasnow. Glasnow pitched perfectly on this day, allowing 7 hits, no walks, 10 strikeouts, and no runs over 8 innings. Ohtani said, "The batting lineup was great, but Glasnow pitched great. Glasnow's good pitching created a good atmosphere," and added, "When I hit the home run, I thought it was just the first run. I didn't think about the record. But it was a good thing." “It was a bet,” he said with a laugh.

Otani, who had a meaningful day among numerous records, goes to Choo Shin-soo (SSG Landers). This is why Choo Shin-soo (218 home runs) currently holds the record for the most home runs in Asia. Ohtani said, "I plan to hit more home runs in the future," and added, "Personally, today was a special day, but the season continues. Tomorrow (23rd) is a rest day, but I will make sure to continue the good trend."

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