Los Angeles Dodgers Superstar Shohei Ohtani Blasts Hardest-Hit Home Run of 2024

Shohei Ohtani set a Statcast era record for the Los Angeles Dodgers with his 119 mile-per-hour, 450-foot home run against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday.

Apr 23, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17). | Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Shohei Ohtani was already on a hot streak entering Tuesday's game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals, but the two-time MVP just took things to a whole new level.

The Dodgers were already up 4-1 in the top of the ninth inning, and they didn't need anything more to lock up the win. Ohtani came through with a towering moonshot regardless, though, leading off the frame with a home run for the ages.

Ohtani crushed an 86 mile-per-hour slider deep over the right field wall. With a launch angle of 25 degrees and an exit velocity of 118.7 miles per hour, Ohtani's solo shot went a whopping 450 feet.

450 FEET FROM SHOHEI! pic.twitter.com/vgzPH7A8Ve

— MLB (@MLB) April 24, 2024

Beyond the eye-popping nature of the highlight, Ohtani's homer stood out in several other ways as well.

The home run immediately became the hardest-hit ball in all of MLB in 2024, homer or not, by 2 miles per hour.

It was the hardest-hit home run of Ohtani's career and the hardest-hit home run from any Dodgers player since the Statcast era began in 2015, per MLB.com's Sarah Langs. Across the entire league, it was the 12th-hardest-hit home run, including the postseason, of the Statcast era.

118.7 MPH FROM SHOHEI

THAT IS:
-LAD’S HARDEST HIT HR UNDER STATCAST (2015)

-HIS HARDEST-HIT HR OF HIS CAREER

-T-12TH-HARDEST HIT HR UNDER STATCAST (INCLUDING PS) https://t.co/f08DCvaKxV

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) April 24, 2024

On top of all that, Tuesday marked Ohtani's first career appearance at Nationals Park, so he naturally celebrated the moment with a signature home run.

Ohtani has made a name for himself as one of baseball's most powerful sluggers ever since he joined the big leagues in 2018. He doesn't only rank top-five in home runs since 2021, but he typically hits them with style.

The 29-year-old designated hitter is currently batting .364 with six home runs, 14 RBI and a 1.107 OPS. He is somehow managing to live up to the 10-year, $700 million contract he inked with the Dodgers back in December, even though elbow surgery will prevent him from pitching in 2024.

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