Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani Hits Hardest Ball of His Career, Leads Team to Victory

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28/04/2024 17h41

In a thrilling game against the Blue Jays on Saturday, Los Angeles Dodgers' superstar Shohei Ohtani once again amazed fans and players alike with his incredible talent. Ohtani's second at-bat of the night resulted in a single that left everyone in awe.

As soon as Ohtani made contact with a 2-2 four-seam fastball from Japanese left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, the crowd at Rogers Centre erupted with "Wows" echoing throughout the stadium. The reason for their astonishment became evident when the exit-velocity numbers, displayed on the center field screen, showed that Ohtani's single had an exit velo of 119.2 mph. This not only marked Ohtani's hardest-hit ball in his career but also the hardest-hit ball by any player in the Majors this season.

Kikuchi, who faced Ohtani during that at-bat, admitted to feeling extra adrenaline and stated that he threw his best fastball this year. However, even with his best effort, Ohtani got the best of him. Nevertheless, Kikuchi was relieved that he managed to get Ohtani out after that impressive hit.

Ohtani's remarkable performance doesn't stop there. He now has three balls hit with an exit velocity of 119 mph or more in his career, placing him behind only Giancarlo Stanton (32) and Aaron Judge (6) in the Statcast era.

Just four days prior to this game, Ohtani hit a homer with an exit velocity of 118.7 mph, which was the hardest-hit home run by a Dodger since Statcast began tracking data in 2015. It also marked the hardest-hit homer of Ohtani's career and ranked as the 12th hardest-hit by any player since '15.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed his awe at Ohtani's abilities, emphasizing not only the power behind his hits but also his impressive control of the strike zone. Roberts believes that Ohtani earns every pitch he gets in the strike zone and acknowledges the impact of his ability to hit the ball hard.

While Ohtani's performance has been exceptional, he is not the only Dodger player making waves. Will Smith has been on a hot streak, going 9-for-12 in his past 12 at-bats, while Mookie Betts continues to excel at the plate.

The Dodgers' lineup has been formidable during their current six-game winning streak. Saturday's game marked the second time this season that all nine starters recorded at least one hit, with the first occurrence happening the night before against the Blue Jays.

On the mound, Tyler Glasnow was dominant, allowing only one run on two hits over six-plus innings before leaving the game due to cramping. Despite this setback, Glasnow expressed that it won't hinder him moving forward and attributed his success to throwing strikes that are difficult for hitters to read.

Glasnow's performance further solidified his position as the Dodgers' ace, leading the Majors with 43 innings and 53 strikeouts. His ability to consistently throw strikes and keep hitters guessing has impressed his teammates, including Betts, who found Glasnow's stuff incredibly tough to hit.

The Dodgers, after initially struggling to meet their high expectations, have found their stride over the past week. They are now playing like the powerhouse team they were expected to be, and their confidence remains high as they believe there is still another level they can reach.

"If we can do that consistently," Roberts concluded, "there's not an arm that we shouldn't be able to manage."

With Ohtani's incredible hitting and the team's overall performance, the Dodgers are proving to be a force to be reckoned with in the Major League Baseball.

The views expressed in this article do not reflect the opinion of ICARO, or any of its affiliates.

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