Inside The Dodgers

Shohei Ohtani Makes Insane Dodgers Franchise History With Home Runs

J.P. Hoornstra|
Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) on base against the New York Mets during the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, June 3.
Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) on base against the New York Mets during the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, June 3. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

In this story:

Los Angeles Dodgers

Shohei Ohtani set a franchise record in 2024 with 54 home runs.

More than one-third of the way through the 2025 season, he's on pace to break his own record.

More news: Former Dodgers Catcher Contemplating Retirement

Ohtani's home run against the New York Mets on Monday, in the Dodgers' 60th game of the season, gave him 23 for the year. That's the most through the first 60 games of the season by any Dodger in franchise history.

To put Ohtani's pace in perspective, he hit 14 home runs through the first 60 games of the 2024 season. Kirk Gibson led the 1988 Dodgers with 25 home runs, the year he claimed the National League MVP Award. And no Dodger hit 23 home runs in a season from the time the franchise joined the National League in 1890 until 1924, when Jack Fournier hit 27 for Brooklyn.

More news: Dodgers Sign Former NL West Rival Pitcher

Ohtani, who was named NL Player of the Month for May on Monday, is on pace to hit 61 home runs this season. He's tied for the major league lead in home runs with Cal Raleigh and leads all qualified NL hitters in slugging percentage (.653).

Ohtani hit an MLB-leading 15 home runs in May, contributing to a gaudy .309/.398/.782 slash line. He became the third Dodger with 15 home runs in a single month, joining Pedro Guerrero’s 15 homers in June 1985 and Hall of Famer Duke Snider’s 15 home runs in August 1953.

More news: Dodgers Cut Pitcher After Only Two Games

Overall, Ohtani is one of 35 players since 1901 to accomplish the feat, though that was true before this year (he hit 15 home runs in June 2023). He became the eighth player in major league history to hit at least 15 home runs in a month on more than one occasion, joining Mark McGwire, Babe Ruth, Hank Greenberg, Sammy Sosa, Albert Belle, Barry Bonds, and Rudy York.

Among the other eye-popping stats Ohtani has racked up:

• He hit four leadoff home runs in May, tied with the Angels' Zach Neto for the most in MLB. Ohtani has 18 career leadoff home runs, and his 12 leadoff blasts since the start of 2024 are second-most in MLB behind only Kyle Schwarber (15).

• Ohtani is on pace to score 173 runs this season, which would be the second-most ever in a single season since 1901, trailing only Ruth’s 177 runs in 1921.

• He became the sixth Dodger with at least 20 extra-base hits, 25 RBIs and 30 runs scored in a calendar month, joining Mookie Betts (August 2023 and May 2022), Cody Bellinger (March/April 2019), Snider (August 1953), Zack Wheat (August 1925), and Fournier (September/October 1923).

For more Dodgers news, head over to Dodgers on SI.

Published
J.P. Hoornstra
J.P. HOORNSTRA

J.P. Hoornstra is an On SI Contributor. A veteran of 20 years of sports coverage for daily newspapers in California, J.P. covered MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Los Angeles Angels (occasionally of Anaheim) from 2012-23 for the Southern California News Group. His first book, The 50 Greatest Dodgers Games of All-Time, published in 2015. In 2016, he won an Associated Press Sports Editors award for breaking news coverage. He once recorded a keyboard solo on the same album as two of the original Doors.

Share on XFollow jphoornstra
Home/News