On Friday, the Los Angeles Angels reached the exact midway point of their season, having played 81 games. That game was also Shohei Ohtani‘s 76th appearance of the season between the mound and the designated hitter spot. It also served as a reminder as to the special talent that Ohtani possesses.
He ended the night with five plate appearances, belting two homers and drawing a walk. That walk came in the bottom of the ninth inning, as the Orioles were determined not to give him anything to hit. However, it backfired, as he stole second, then scored on a base hit from Jared Walsh to give Los Angeles their 40th win of the season.
Shohei Ohtani taking aim at 60 homers for Los Angeles Angels
Ohtani has been on a tear over his past 15 games. He has produced an impressive .333/.419/.1.130 batting line in his 62 plate appearances, hitting 13 homers and stealing three bases. He now has a major league leading 30 homers on the year, and has added 12 steals as well.
It is easy to extrapolate the numbers moving forward. If Ohtani continues on this pace, he would end the season with exactly 60 homers, a mark that has been reached by only five players in major league history. The fact that Ohtani is on pace to reach that mark, while also serving as the Angels’ ace on the mound, is astounding.
However, it does not seem likely that he will reach that mark. While his bat has been white hot over his past 15 games, Ohtani only had 17 homers in his previous 61 games. Although he was on pace for an impressive 40 homer/20 steal season, the idea that he would hit 60 homers was far fetched.
That is still the case. With his time on the mound, he does not get as many plate appearances as other sluggers, unless he heads to the outfield afterwards. His bat will eventually cool off, and while he will still end up with an impressive season, it is unlikely that he will continue this pace and belt 60 homers on the year.
Shohei Ohtani is on pace to hit exactly 60 homers. It is highly unlikely that the Los Angeles Angels star will reach that mark this season.