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493-foot HR! Shohei Ohtani was the undisputed winner at number 30
Shohei Ohtani is hot in right with his 17th homer (30th overall) of June, a 493-foot dinger.
Another day, another jaw-dropping moment Shohei Ohtani.
On Friday night in Los Angeles, the Angels’ two-way star hit his 30th home run of the season and did it in powerful fashion — a 493-foot shot the longest off Arizona Diamondbacks starter Tommy Henry. His major league career and this season are the longest of any player in the major leagues.
“It was loud. I let it go,” Henry said. “I don’t see it. I don’t really like to see home runs. It’s not good to get out of hand.”
The solo shot came in the sixth inning and continued a torrid stretch for the Japanese sensation. He now has 15 home runs in June (including five this week alone), tying the Angels single-month record set by Thursday. He also tied Babe Ruth (1930 Yankees), Bob Johnson (1934 A’s) and Roger Morris (1961 Yankees) for the AL mark in June.
Ohtani joined Sammy Sosa (1998) as the only players in major league history to hit 30 home runs and 10 stolen bases in a season before July. And he became the fourth player in American League history to hit 30 home runs before July, joining Ken Griffey Jr., Chris Davis and Babe Ruth.
All three of Ohtani’s longest homers have come at Angel Stadium. His previous best was a 470-foot drive from Kansas City’s Kris Bubic in 2021.
Ohtani finished 1-for-2 with a pair of walks Friday night as the Angels dropped their third straight, 6-2.
“I heard about this 500-[foot] “The shots that guys have thrown in the past,” Angels manager Bill Nevin said. “I know the calculations are a little different now, but I don’t think a ball will hit more than that. Awesome. I mean, he had a great night with two walks and a home run. That kind of gives you some energy and then we got some runners. We just couldn’t get a big win.”
Information from ESPN Stats and Information and The Associated Press was used in this report.
