Baseball fans are used to Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani making history and setting records that no one ever thought could be achieved. In Tuesday night's MLB All-Star game, Ohtani hit a historic home run in more ways than one.
Ohtani's second-inning home run made him the first player in All-Star Game history to hit a home run and have a pitching win in his career, according to MLB.com's Sarah Langs. His pitching win came in 2021 when he set down Fernando Tatis Jr, Max Muncy, and Nolan Arenado in the first inning. This year, he is not pitching while he rehabs from Tommy John surgery.
This is not the first record Othani has broken since joining the Dodgers. The 30-year-old set the record for home runs hit by a Japanese player earlier this season, hitting his 176th round-tripper against the Mets in April. That home run was the fifth of the 29 he hit in the first half of this season. He was also the first Dodger to hit a home run in the Mid-Summer Classic since Mike Piazza in 1989.
Shohei Ohtani's All-Star Game history
Shohei Ohtani played in his fourth consecutive MLB All-Star game on Tuesday night, but the home run was just his second hit. He was 1-for-4 in his previous three appearances on the American League side. His victory back in 2021 is his only pitching performance to date. He was, however, named as a two-way All-Star in both 2022 and 2023 but did not pitch during those games. The three RBIs that accompanied Tuesday's home run were also Ohtani's first in his All-Star career.
The 2024 All-Star game will almost certainly not be Ohtani's last in Dodger blue, as he signed a 10-year contract to be a Dodger this offseason. The record for All-Star appearances in a Dodger uniform is nine, held by Don Drysdale, Clayton Kershaw, and Pee Wee Reese. If Ohtani continues the pace he is on, it would surprise no one if he broke that record as well.
Looking ahead to the second half
The Dodgers enter the second half in first place in the NL West, to nobody's surprise. They have a seven-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks at the break and hold the second-best record in the NL. That is all despite the recent injury to Mookie Betts. The newly minted shortstop injured his hand when he was hit by a pitch on June 16. Since the injury, the Dodgers have gone 12-12, losing three games of ground to Arizona in that period. Ohtani has done his part, hitting 10 home runs since the injury, adding 23 RBIs and hitting an incredible .337.
The Dodgers look to continue their stay in first place with a tough schedule to begin the second half. They start against the red-hot Boston Red Sox, who have the second-best record since June 16. Archrival San Francisco Giants come to Los Angeles after Boston leaves town. This will be a tough start for the Dodgers, especially without Betts. The shortstop is expected to return sometime in August. Shohei Ohtani looks to carry the Dodgers back to the World Series for the first time since their victory in 2020.
