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| LA Dodgers Shohei Ohtani. ImagesYonhap News |
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Jun 22, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two?way player Shohei Ohtani (17) pitches the ball during the second inning against Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
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LA Dodgers Shohei Ohtani wrote the first history in the 125-year history of the U.S. Major League Baseball.
Ohtani led the Washington Nationals to a 13-7 victory on the 22nd (Korea time) by playing the first hitter in the game against the Washington Nationals in the '2025 Major League ' held at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
Ohtani gave the ball to Ben Kasparius after one inning of no hit, no hit, no hit, no strikeouts, and no run. He pitched one inning as he did against the San Diego Padres (one run in one inning) on the 17th, when he returned to the pitcher after elbow surgery. Before returning, he drew attention with a maximum speed of 100.2 miles (about 161 kilometers), but there was no ball exceeding 100 miles on this day. It recorded a maximum speed of 98.8 miles (about 159 kilometers) and an average speed of 97.9 miles (about 157.5 kilometers). The ball went in well offensively, with 12 strikes among the 18 pitches.
Even after taking off his glove and holding the bat, he flew. Ohtani went 2-for-4 with one walk and five RBIs. Two hits were a home run and a triple.
In the bottom of the seventh inning with a 4-3 lead, Ohtani hit a timely triple with a three-run sweep on the right field line to widen the distance to 7-3. In the bottom of the eighth inning, he hit a two-run shot over the middle to widen the distance to 13-3 in his final at-bat with one out and a runner on first base. 26th shot of the season. Ohtani became the National League home run leader with this home run.
According to Major League Baseball website MLB.com , Ohtani hit at least one home run and one triple in his second career start since May 16, 2023, when he was with the Los Angeles Angels. In the 125-year history of the Major League, Ohtani is the only player who has at least two home runs and at least one triple in his career.
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Jun 22, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two?way player Shohei Ohtani (17) pitches the ball during the first inning against Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 22: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is showered with sunflower seeds after hitting a two-run home run in the eighth against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium on June 22, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
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It was also a game that proved why the Dodgers gave Ohtani a huge amount of money. Ahead of last season, the Dodgers turned the baseball world upside down by signing a 10-year, 700 million-dollar contract with Ohtani, who was the biggest FA fish. At that time, it was the highest amount in the history of professional sports in the United States. It was an amount that far exceeded the $500-600 million expected by the U.S. media.
Ohtani had elbow surgery just before signing an FA contract, so he couldn't show off the charm of pitching and hitting right away in the Dodgers uniform. Still, Ohtani was Ohtani. Last year, he played 159 games as a batter alone and recorded a batting average of 0.310 (197 hits in 636 at-bats), 54 homers, 59 steals, 130 RBIs, and 1.036 OPS. He became the first member of the 50-homer-50 stolen base club in Major League history, leading the Dodgers to the World Series championship and winning the third MVP in his career.
Ohtani is raising expectations by taking the mound before the end of the first half of this year, the second year of his contract with the Dodgers. Although they are not able to throw long innings yet, the Dodgers are still trying to enjoy the effect of recruiting a superstar by letting Ohtani throw the ball on the mound even for a short time. The Dodgers seem to be trying to provide baseball fans with more joy of contemporaneous living with superstars like Ohtani.
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 22: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is greeted in the dugout after scoring a run in the sixth inning against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium on June 22, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
