Ohtani crushes homer, pulls off unprecedented All-Star feat
ARLINGTON -- For all that Shohei Ohtani has accomplished since coming to the Major Leagues, he had never hit a home run in the All-Star Game.
Until Tuesday night.
Ohtani launched a three-run homer against Tanner Houck of the Red Sox, snapping a scoreless tie in the third inning. It was Ohtani’s first home run in his four All-Star Game appearances, making him the only player in MLB history to earn a win on the mound (Colorado, 2021) and hit a home run in his All-Star Game career. It was also the first long ball by a Dodgers hitter in an All-Star Game since Mike Piazza took Cleveland’s Charles Nagy deep at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia back in 1996.
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Ohtani had made history by becoming the first player to start four straight Midsummer Classics as a designated hitter. He drew a walk against AL starter Corbin Burnes in his first trip to the plate, but his second plate appearance proved to be far more impactful.
A leadoff single by Jurickson Profar and a base hit by Ketel Marte put two runners on base for the NL, giving Houck little wiggle room against Ohtani. The two-time AL MVP took two balls to start the at-bat, then jumped on an 88.7 mph splitter, drilling it deep to right-center field. The ball settled in the stands a Statcast-projected 400 feet later, clocked at 103.7 mph off the bat.