Shohei Ohtani Apr 30, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in the third inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports

Shohei Ohtani’s greatness has numbed many baseball fans to just how incredibly gifted he is as a player. He’ll perform some spectacular feat, and those fans will shrug, saying, “He’s done that before. Twice.”

But Ohtani has never had a game like he did Monday against the Baltimore Orioles. In the fourth inning, the Los Angeles Angels star launched a mammoth home run.

An inning later, he literally jogged to third for a stand-up triple.

Later in the game, Ohtani, the Angels starting pitcher, joined an elite pitching club.

First, Ohtani’s three-run homer off Orioles starter Grayson Rodriguez traveled 456 feet.

It’s not the longest home run of Ohtani’s career (470 feet in 2021). But it was still a huge blast.

It’s a symbol of Ohtani’s unicorn skills that he can hit a tape-measure home run in the top of an inning, then take the mound in the bottom of the inning, with skills that could one day win him a Cy Young Award. Monday night, he recorded his 500th career strikeout. According to ESPN Stats & Info, that makes him the fourth pitcher in history with 500 Ks in his first 400 innings as a starter, joining Corbin Burnes, Dylan Cease and the late José Fernández.

None of those guys were routinely hitting home runs — let alone 456-foot shots — as a hitter.

Ohtani hit his bizarre triple in the fifth inning, in which he jogged all the way to third base.

Ohtani did not have a great game on the mound, giving up three home runs and five earned runs in seven innings. But the MLB world reacted with amazement to his home run and other feats.

[Los Angeles Angels]

About Arthur Weinstein

Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.