Shohei Ohtani (Angels) set a new major league record for batted ball speed. The left-handed hitter hit 186.8 kilometers per hour, the fastest ever hit by a lefty. Opposing players were stunned for good reason.
Ohtani hit his 21st home run of the season against the Texas Rangers on Friday (July 15) at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. He hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning with the Rangers trailing 1-6 after batting second.안전놀이터
Ohtani already led the American League with 13 multi-homer games, but his 21st home run on the 15th caused a stir for a different reason. Never before had a pushed ball traveled so fast and so far. It hit 116 mph (186.8 km/h) and traveled 453 feet (138 meters).
Shohei Otani.
Not since Major League Baseball adopted Trackman has a left-handed hit traveled so fast to become a home run. “Before today, we weren’t sure if it existed in the real world,” said data company Codify.
According to MLB.com’s Sarah Lance, the previous fastest home run hit before Ohtani’s was by Joey Gallo in 2017. Gallo traveled 113 mph (about 181.9 kilometers) at the time. Motani surpassed that number by more than three miles.
Marcus Simeon, who set the record for most home runs by a second baseman with 45 in 2021, watched Ohtani’s home run from the opposite field and marveled, “I’ve never seen one hit that far in this ballpark.”
Ohtani is now looking at the major league home run lead. Pete “Polar Bear” Alonso (Mets), who leads the league with 22 home runs, is out of the game after taking a pitch to the wrist. He is expected to be out for at least two weeks. It’s only a matter of time before Ohtani surpasses Aaron Judge (Yankees) in the standings.
In the meantime, Ohtani will look to pick up his sixth win of the season on April 16 against Texas. Ohtani hasn’t added a win since May 16 against Baltimore. He is 1-1 with a 3.52 ERA in his last four starts.