The Los Angeles Dodgers rolled into Japan and took care of business in the Tokyo Series, grabbing a pair of wins against the Chicago Cubs. Arguably the greatest player on the planet did his part as Shohei Ohtani went 3 for 8 in the two-game set, including a home run on Wednesday.
While Ohtani’s long ball barely cleared the fence, it was nearly a personal best for the two-way superstar.
Via Sarah Langs:
Ohtani’s home run came on a 99.1 mph pitch, the 2nd-fastest pitch he’s homered off of in his career, behind only:
100.1 mph from Paul Skenes on 6/5/24 https://t.co/MMZi6nhR0i
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) March 19, 2025
Yes, he’s homered off Paul Skenes, who regularly touches triple digits. It doesn’t matter how hard a pitcher throws though — Ohtani has elite bat speed and can catch up to any pitch, even if it’s 100 mph or more.
Shohei Ohtani is coming off a ridiculous first season with the Dodgers. He won National League MVP and helped LA win the World Series, beating the New York Yankees in five games. Ohtani broke all sorts of records in 2024, smacking 54 home runs and stealing 59 bases. Those are numbers we’ve never seen in the Majors. Dave Roberts even called Ohtani a superhero after Wednesday’s win. He’s not wrong.
Ohtani is a living legend in Japan and every fan showed up to see him shine. He certainly did just that and going yard was the ultimate excitement for the Japanese supporters.
Tommy Edman and Kike Hernandez also had homers in the Game 2 victory as the Dodgers won 6-1. Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts both didn’t play but that didn’t stop the defending World Series champions from showing up and showing out.
While it’ll be hard for Shohei Ohtani to top his ’24 campaign, we will see him back on the mound at some point. That’s a scary sight for the rest of the big leagues. The Dodgers’ rotation as a whole is ridiculously talented and adding Ohtani to the fold is truly unfair.
Another title certainly seems to be in the cards.
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