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A 191-mile-per-hour 'rocket shot' from Washington, D.C., now leads the NL in batting average, on-base percentage and OPS
118.7 miles (about 191 kilometers). That's the frightening speed, equivalent to the maximum wind speed of a Category A typhoon, measured at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on April 24th.
Unsurprisingly, it wasn't the speed of a pitcher's fastball. It was the speed of Shohei Ohtani's (Los Angeles Dodgers) sixth home run of the season.
The Dodgers were playing the Washington Nationals on the road, and with his team leading 3-1 in the top of the ninth inning, Ohtani took a two-pitch splitter up the middle off Nats reliever Matt Barnes and lifted it over the right-center field fence for a wedge solo home run.
The home run was measured at a whopping 450 feet (137.2 meters). But even more impressive than the distance was the ball's shocking speed of 118.7 mph. The Washington outfielders could only watch as the ball soared through the air and into the second level of the outfield bleachers at Nationals Park.
According to MLB.com's Sarah Lance, it was the fastest home run hit by a Dodgers player since 2015 in the statcast era. It was also Ohtani's fastest bat speed in his major league debut. It is tied for 12th on the all-time list with Giancarlo Stanton's (New York Yankees) home run on Sept. 29, 2017, against the Atlanta Braves. Stanton's 121.7 mph (195.9 km/h) home run on Aug. 10, 2018, against the Texas Rangers is the fastest of all time.
Ohtani's home run surprised more people than he did. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who was reminded of Stanton and Aaron Judge (New York Yankees) when he saw Ohtani's home run, said, “Not many hitters can hit like that. It was definitely a liner with topspin,” Roberts said of Ohtani's shot to the second deck of the outfield. Teammate James Outman summed it up in one word: “It was like a cruise missile.”
Otani actually had a rough start to the season, as he was still reeling from the trauma of his interpreter's offense earlier in the season. However, he quickly found his stride and returned to the form everyone knew.
After hitting his first home run nine games into the season, Ohtani is now tied for first on the team with Mookie Betts with six home runs. He also has a .364 batting average and a 1.107 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage). He leads the National League in batting average, OPS, slugging percentage (.677), hits (36), doubles (11), and total bases (67). Had Ohtani been able to bat second or play consistent defense at any position, Betts might not have been at the top of MLB.com's MVP mock voting results, which were released on Nov. 23. Regardless, Ohtani is still Ohtani.