Two-time American League Most Valuable Player Shohei Ohtani is having an excellent start to the 2024 Major League Baseball season. In 24 games, he is hitting .368/.431/.663 with 13 RBIs and a league-leading 35 hits. More importantly, he earned a place in history after earning his 176th career home run, making him the all-time home runs leader among Japanese-born players.

Ohtani passed Hideki Matsui during their 10-0 victory against the New York Mets on April 21. Facing Adrian Houser in the bottom of the third inning, Ohtani sent the ball over the right field wall, putting the Dodgers on the board with a two-run homer. It’s his fifth home run of the season.

In addition to those runs, the Dodgers scored eight more runs in the fifth inning, courtesy of Mookie Betts’ single, Freddie Freeman’s two-run double, Will Smith’s two-run double, and Andy Pages’ three-run home run.

Ohtani, Freeman, and Pages each had two hits. In addition to Ohtani, Betts (.355) and Smith (.346) are averaging over .300 in batting. Meanwhile, Tyler Glasnow was lights out, shutting down the Mets’ offense by striking out ten batters in eight innings.

While Ohtani gets another spot in the MLB record books, the Dodgers record improved to 13-11, first in the National League West. The Dodgers will return to action on April 23 to start their three-game series against the Washington Nationals.

-Lance Fernandez