Fastball

Shohei Ohtani Just Got Company at Top of Special Leaderboard

The Los Angeles Dodgers star no longer has sole possession of the home run lead in the National League.
Brady Farkas|
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) runs to first base against the Tampa Bay Rays in the seventh inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Aug 3.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) runs to first base against the Tampa Bay Rays in the seventh inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Aug 3. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Dodgers

Philadelphia Phillies star Kyle Schwarber hit his 38th home run of the season on Sunday night, helping the Phillies to a 2-0 win over the American League Central-leading Detroit Tigers.

That home run ties him for the National League-lead with Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, who no longer has sole possession at the top of that leaderboard.

Beyond that, Schwarber has likely entered the MVP conversation with Ohtani and Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs.

Schwarber, 32, is hitting .254 this season and is a major reason why the Phillies are currently leading the National League East and are seen as one of the favorites for getting to the World Series.

Ohtani is also a driving force behind the Dodgers' World Series chances. Entering play on Monday, he's hitting .274 with 38 home runs and 73 RBIs. He's got 15 stolen bases as well, pairing all those numbers with a 171 OPS+.

Already a three-time MVP winner in his career, Ohtani is still likely in the best position to win his fourth version of the award. His return to pitching, where he's tossed 15 innings this season, should help his case.

Ohtani and the Dodgers will be back in action on Monday night when they take on the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium.

First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET as Tyler Glasnow pitches for LA against Sonny Gray.

Glasnow is just 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA after battling injury much of the season. Gray, a former Cy Young runner-up, is 10-5 with a 4.38 ERA.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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