MLB News: Shohei Ohtani hits 30 home runs this season
ANAHEIM, California –
Shohei Ohtani hit a 150-yard home run on Friday night, the longest of his major league career, to become the ninth player to reach 30 home runs in a season on July 1.
The Los Angeles Angels’ two-way superstar drove a slider from Arizona Diamondbacks southpaw Tommy Henry to rightfield in the sixth inning to put the Angels within 5-1. It was the longest home run in the majors this year.
Ohtani became the first player since Baltimore’s Chris Davis in 2013 to hit 30 homers by the end of June. Davis had 31.
Babe RuthKen Griffey Jr. and Sammy Sosa each did it twice. The others are Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Luis Gonzalez and Albert Pujols. Bonds had 39 on July 1, 2001 on his way to the single-season record with 73.
Ohtani hit 15 home runs in June. In addition to being an Angels record in every month, he tied Babe Ruth (1930 Yankees), Bob Johnson (1934 A’s) and Roger Maris (1961 Yankees) for the AL mark in June.
Ohtani’s three longest home runs came at Angel Stadium. His previous record was a 140-yard drive on Kansas City’s Kris Bubic in 2021. It was also Ohtani’s fifth long ball this week.
