Ohtani's first live-pitching return in the second half of the year, 50 home runs and 100K are tied for the first 18th goal, 55 home runs pace

May 26, 2025

Ohtani's first live-pitching return in the second half of the year, 50 home runs and 100K are tied for the first 18th goal, 55 home runs pace
LA Dodgers Shohei Ohtani is turning the base with his right hand raised after hitting a superior solo shot in the top of the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on the 26th (Korea time). AFP Yonhap News



Ohtani's first live-pitching return in the second half of the year, 50 home runs and 100K are tied for the first 18th goal, 55 home runs pace
Shohei Otani is performing his first live pitching after elbow surgery on the 26th (Korea time). AP Yonhap News
Entering the middle of the season, the competition for home run king is on the rise. The race, which was likely to flow into a solo system, is flailing between the competitors.

As of the 26th (Korea time), Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies, and Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers are tied for the lead with 18. Seattle Mariners Carrolli is the lone fourth with 17 home runs.

Judge is the first player to hit 18 home runs. Judge hit his 17th and 18th home runs against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field, which he visited for the first time in his life from the 24th to the 25th.




Schwarber then pulled left-hander Jeffrey Springs' 84.2-mile slider in the top of the sixth inning in an away game against the Athletics on the 25th and hit a superior solo shot to reach the 18-homer mark.

And Ohtani hit a home run in his first at-bat in the top of the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on the 26th, a day later. In one ball, Mets starter Sena Godai pulled a 94.8-mile fastball that hit the middle of the second pitch and hit the right-center fence wide.

His 18th home run of the season, which is 31 degrees in firing angle, 108.2 miles (174.3 kilometers) and 411 feet in flying distance. It is the first time in six days that Ohtani hit a home run since the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on the 20th.




Ohtani's first live-pitching return in the second half of the year, 50 home runs and 100K are tied for the first 18th goal, 55 home runs pace
Otani goes out as the leadoff hitter in the top of the first inning and pulls Senga Godai's fastball and hits a solo shot to the right-center. AFP Yonhap News
Ohtani's first live-pitching return in the second half of the year, 50 home runs and 100K are tied for the first 18th goal, 55 home runs pace
Shohei Ohtani pitching live in the presence of pitcher coach Mark Pryor. AFP Yonhap News
In May, Ohtani hit 11 home runs to boost his pace. It is the number one home run in a month. Schwarber added nine and Judge eight each.

Ohtani hit his 18th and 19th home runs of the season in his team's 73rd game last year, when he hit 54 home runs. This year, he reached 18 homers in his team's 53rd game. The pace is about 20 games fast.

With the current pace, Ohtani and Schwarber can hit 55 home runs and Judge 56 home runs. Raleigh has 53 home runs. It may be an early prediction at a time when one-third of the regular season schedule has been played, but the possibility of all four players hitting more than 50 home runs cannot be ruled out. In history, only two batters have hit more than 50 home runs in a season. It is the steroid age of 2001 and 1998. In 2001, Barry Bonds (73), Sammy Sosa (64), Luis Gonzalez (57), Alex Rodriguez (52), and Mark McGwire (70), Sosa (66), Ken Griffey Jr. (56), and Greg Bones (50) each hit more than 50 home runs in 1998.




Ohtani's first live-pitching return in the second half of the year, 50 home runs and 100K are tied for the first 18th goal, 55 home runs pace
Otani threw a fastball of up to 97 miles in his first live pitching. AFP Yonhap News
Meanwhile, Ohtani, who hit his 18th home run on the same day, also performed his first live pitching after shoulder surgery before the game, and started the resumption of the 'Double Tutoring' after the All-Star break. Ohtani, who threw 22 pitches, checked all pitches, including a fastball of up to 97 miles, as well as sweepers, splitters, cutters and sinkers.

Ohtani won the AL home run title with 44 home runs in 2023 when he was with the Los Angeles Angels, marking 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts, achieving 40 home runs-10-100 strikeouts in a season for the first time in history. As he is expected to return to the mound only in the second half of this season, attention is focusing on whether he can achieve 50 home runs-100 strikeouts.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.