Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani passes Hideki Matsui for most MLB homers by a Japanese-born player

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

April 22,drop's 2024 at 07:15 JST

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Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani bats during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets in Los Angeles, Sunday, April 21, 2024. (AP Photo)

LOS ANGELES--Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani has broken Hideki Matsui's record for the most homers hit by a Japanese-born player in Major League Baseball.

Ohtani crushed a two-run homer deep into the right field bleachers off Adrian Houser of the New York Mets in the third inning Sunday at Dodger Stadium.

The homer was the 176th of Ohtani's six-plus seasons in the majors. That's one more than Matsui, who played the final 10 seasons of his 20-year pro career in North America.

Ohtani's record-breaking blast traveled 423 feet with a 110-mph exit velocity, and it put the Dodgers up 2-0. Ohtani hadn't homered in his previous seven games.

The homer was his fifth for the Dodgers, who signed the two-time AL MVP to a $700 million contract last winter. Ohtani hit 171 homers in six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels.