Oct 05, 2021 (NHK) - In Major League Baseball, Japanese two-way star Ohtani Shohei of the Los Angeles Angels hit his 46th home run in the team's final regular season game. That left the player two home runs shy of winning the title.
Ohtani batted first in the lineup as a designated hitter against the Seattle Mariners in Seattle on Sunday.
In his first at-bat, Ohtani belted a home run into the stands on the right side of the stadium.
He finished third in the American League home run race. The star missed a chance to become the first Japanese Major League home run champion.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays and Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals shared the title with 48 home runs each.
After the game, Ohtani said he was happy to be able to finish the regular season without sustaining any major injuries. He said many of his teammates had been placed on the injury list, and that he had worked hard to maintain his health throughout the season.
Asked how he felt about making it through an entire season as a two-way player for the first time, he answered that he was able to grow significantly. He added that he wants to look at his overall performance and determine what he needs to improve for the next season.
As a hitter, Ohtani appeared in 155 games. He finished with a .257 batting average, 46 home runs, 100 runs batted in, and 26 stolen bases.
He was the starting pitcher in 23 games. He had nine wins, two losses, a 3.18 earned run average, and 156 strikeouts in those games.
