Shohei Ohtani slugged another home run for the Los Angeles Dodges on the final day of the regular season to give him 55 total for the year.
That homer made some history by setting a new Dodgers franchise record for most homers in a single season, surpassing the mark previously set by Ohtani last year with 54.
Ohtani’s record-setting home run came in the seventh inning against Gabe Speier to put the Dodgers up 6-0. The homer cane in a two-strike count and on a 95 mph fastball that traveled 412 feet with a 109.5 mph exit velocity.
In addition to the homer breaking a Dodgers franchise record, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to finish a season with exactly 55 home runs. Furthermore, it set a new career high in home runs for Ohtani.
Ohtani also extended his own record of most home runs in a season while making multiple pitching starts, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com. The previous three highest-marks also belong to Ohtani, with 46 in 2021, 44 in 2023, and 34 in 2022.
Ohtani slugged 109 total home runs in his first two seasons with the Dodgers, which tied Alex Rodriguez (Texas Rangers, 2001-2002) for the second-highest total by a player in their first two years with a franchise. Babe Ruth holds the record with 113 homers for the New York Yankees from 1920-1921.
Prior to Ohtani joining the Dodgers and breaking the franchise single-season home run record each year with the club, the crown previously belonged to Shawn Green, who hit 49 homers during the 2001 season.
Green broke the Dodgers home run record that previously had been shared by Gary Sheffield (2000) and Duke Snider (1956), as they both hit 43.
Adrian Beltré (48 home runs in 2007) and Cody Bellinger (47; 2017) both came close to Green’s Dodgers record in their respective seasons.
Shohei Ohtani set Dodgers record before All-Star break
Earlier in the year, Ohtani finished the unofficial first half of the season with a National League-best 32 home runs, which were the most by a Dodgers player before the All-Star break.
Bellinger previously held the franchise record with 30 home runs during the 2019 season.
Ohtani had already set multiple Dodgers records this year, including most home runs through the first 86 games of a season. The two-way star set a new mark with his 30th home run, which broke a record that was shared by Gil Hodges and Snider.
Ohtani also set a new Dodgers franchise record for most home runs before July. His 29 home runs entering the month surpassed Bellinger’s and Sheffield’s 27.
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