‘966 Billion’ Transfer First Home Run → LAD ‘Controversy over intimidation’…”176 Home Run Ball Recovery Failed.” Ohtani Beyond Godzilla, Sign Ball Deal Didn’t Work

Reporter Park Seung-hwan] Shohei Ohtani, who unintentionally stood at the center of controversy due to the coercive attitude of security guards in the process of recovering the first home run ball he hit while wearing the LA Dodgers uniform. This time, he failed to recover the historic home run ball.

Ohtani started the 2024 Major League New York Mets home game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on the 22nd (Korea time), and started as a designated hitter, showing off his unrivaled presence with two hits (one home run) and two RBIs, two runs and one walk from three times at bat.

Ohtani, who signed an unprecedented 10-year, $700 million (about 966 billion won) contract in the history of professional sports last winter and wore a Dodgers uniform, will not be able to stand on the mound this year as he underwent surgery to rupture ligaments in his right elbow last year. For this reason, there was a lot of curiosity about what kind of performance Ohtani, who only focuses on at-bat, could show. This is why the performance he showed at-bat while working as both pitcher and hitter was enormous.

Before the Seoul Series, Ohtani focused only on hitters in exhibition games. He had 11 hits, two homers, and a batting average of 0.500 OPS 1.486 in eight games. Ohtani did not seem to show strong performance in showdowns with the Kiwoom Heroes and Team Korea ahead of the Seoul Series, but he got off to a good start by recording two hits, one RBI and one run in the opening game of the Seoul Series and one run in the second game. He also showed off his outstanding presence by scoring two hits, one walk and one run in the opening game of the U.S. mainland.

However, Ohtani had a problem. It was that homers were rarely produced. Prior to this season, Ohtani had not hit a home run for the longest period since the opening of the season with 38 at-bats. However, while failing to draw an arch until his 40th at-bat after 38 at-bats, a much-anticipated shot finally broke out. He successfully secured his first homerun against Taylor Rogers in a showdown with the San Francisco Giants on the 4th. Since then, Ohtani’s batting sense has properly opened his eyes.

Ohtani built up two consecutive home runs against the Chicago Cubs the next day, followed by the Minnesota Twins on the 9th and the San Diego Padres on the 13th. In particular, the home run against San Diego was on par with the most home runs recorded by “Godzilla” Hideki Matsui in 10 seasons of his big league career. Since then, Ohtani has not produced a home run in seven consecutive games, but he has pulled out a home run that exceeds Matsui’s record in the game on the 22nd.

At the second batter’s box with one out and a runner on the first base in the bottom of the third inning, Ohtani turned his bat hard when New York Mets starter Adrian Houser’s second pitch of 81.7 miles (131.5 kilometers) led to a missed pitch that drove him to the middle of the strike zone. The ball flew at a whopping 110 miles (177 kilometers) and flew 423 feet (128.9 meters) to become the first two-run homerun over the right fence, his fifth in the season, and his 176th career homer over Matsui. Now, every moment of Ohtani’s homer has led to a new history. 룸알바

Ohtani’s next goal is to set a new record for most homers in Asia. Currently, Choo Shin-soo (SSG Landers) has hit the most homers as a major leaguer from Asia. He still has 42 gaps. It is only a matter of time before Ohtani breaks Choo’s record. Choo has ended his big league career and is about to retire from the SSG. However, Ohtani set a new record for manager Dave Roberts, who was born in Japan and holds nationality.