Los Angeles Dodgers Star Shohei Ohtani Extends Lead Atop Franchise Leaderboards

Shohei Othani led off Wednesday's game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies with a 448-foot home run that further cemented his hold on a Statcast era record.
Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) celebrates after hitting a solo home run in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium.
Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) celebrates after hitting a solo home run in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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Shohei Ohtani, who has been a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers for just 179 regular season games, can't help but make franchise history.

Ohtani came out of the gates swinging big in the first inning Wednesday night, fouling off one pitch and whiffing at the next. He eventually got the best of Colorado Rockies starter Germán Márquez on a knuckle curve down the middle, though, crushing a fly ball deep to right field.

With an exit velocity of 111 miles per hour and a launch angle of 32 degrees, Ohtani sent the ball 448 feet for a solo home run. That made six homers for Ohtani this season and 60 since he joined the Dodgers – a dozen of which have gone at least 445 feet.

According to MLB.com's Sarah Langs, Ohtani's 12 home runs of 445-plus feet are two more than any other Dodgers player since the Statcast era began in 2015. And considering he still has nearly nine full seasons left on his $700 million deal with the Dodgers, it figures that Ohtani's lead in that category will only continue to grow.

Ohtani – a four-time All-Star and three-time MVP – ranks second only to Aaron Judge with 183 home runs since the start of the 2021 season. He is batting .288 with a .930 OPS so far in 2025.

The Dodgers went on to win 8-7 on Wednesday, completing their sweep over the Rockies.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

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