Choo Shin-soo (42, SSG Landers), who had 218 home runs in the Major League, gave up the title of the most home runs in Asia. Shohei Ohtani (30, LA Dodgers), a Japanese superstar, has set a new record of 219 home runs in the Asian Major Leaguers, surpassing Korean legend Choo Shin-soo.
Ohtani started as the first designated hitter in an away game against the Miami Marlins in the 2024 Major League Baseball at Rondipo Park in Miami, Florida on the 18th (Korea Standard Time) and hit his 48th home run of the season in his second at-bat in the top of the third inning.
When his team was losing 0-4, he hit an 82.2 mile (132.3 kilometers per hour) sweeper on the third pitch by Miami right-hander Darren McCohan, which flew well over the right fence. He flew 402 feet (122.5 meters) at 105.3 kilometers (169.5 kilometers) per hour. He also flew 32 degrees Celsius.
It was Choo’s 48th homer in this season that broke the record of no homers in the last four consecutive games. He also had 219 homers in his career, breaking Choo’s record of 218 homers in the Asian Major Leaguers. Choo hit his 176th homer in a game against the Kansas City Royals on May 27, 2018, when he was with the Texas Rangers, surpassing Matsui Hideki’s 175 homers, and became the star of Asia’s most homeruns.
Choo Shin-soo returned to Korea after 2020, and finished his 16-season major league career with 218 home runs. Four years later, Ohtani overtook Choo Shin-soo’s record. Choo Shin-soo’s most home run title in Asia for six years was also passed on to Ohtani.
Ohtani has surpassed Choo’s feat of 1,652 games and 7,157 at-bats over the past 16 years in 849 games and 3,546 at-bats over the past seven years. Choo had 20 homers and seven seasons, his personal record of 24 in 2019. He also had slugging capability but was a mid- to long-distance runner who spearheaded his team’s pioneering efforts.
Ohtani, on the other hand, hit 46 home runs in 2021, the most by an Asian player. The figure far exceeds Matsui’s record of 31 when he was playing for the New York Yankees in 2004. Last year, he topped the American League with 44 home runs, becoming the first Asian home run king. He topped the National League with 48 home runs this year, and is certain to become the home run king for two consecutive years.
He also left two homers and two stolen bases each on the first 50-50 milestone in the history of the Major League, and local media are focusing on him. However, the Japanese media did not miss the question of setting a new record for the most homeruns in Asia.
According to Japanese media including “Nikkan Sports,” Ohtani said after the match, “I didn’t know that, but it’s good. I hope I can accumulate more records at least one,” adding, “I don’t think I need to pay attention to the numbers now because I’m still in the middle of my career. I think it would be good if I could see for myself how much I did at the end of my career.” 토토사이트
Although 219 home runs are a new Asian record, they are currently in progress for Ohtani. As he said, he is in the middle of his career, and the number to build up in the future is much greater. If he has at least nine more years to sign a contract with the Dodgers, and Ohtani’s skills are not sharply reduced, he can expect 400 home runs and even 500 home runs.
As Ohtani approaches 50-50, he is under pressure to set a new record. Before hitting his 48th homer on the day, Ohtani faltered due to silence for four consecutive games. However, Ohtani said, “I have no pressure for 50-50; I just want to have more at-bats if I have really good batting performance. That is something that has not changed since the beginning of the season.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also said, “I don’t think Otani feels pressured by the record. I think he thinks only in his mind, but it’s natural. I’m trying to win the team.” “Since the team is in a difficult situation right now, I’m focusing on winning the team somehow. There is no comfortable game. The most important thing is to win one more game so that he can win the championship faster.”
The Dodgers, which has been slowing down with seven wins and eight losses (winning rate .467) in September amid unfavorable situation for starting pitchers such as Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, and Gavin Stone, is trailing the San Diego Padres, which are ranking second in the NL West, by 3.5 games. As the team’s overall inferiority to the other team has been confirmed, the actual difference is 2.5 games, as San Diego will win the championship when the team’s performance is tied. With 11 games left in the regular season, the Dodgers’ magic number is 8.