When it comes to the “flowers of baseball,” many people probably think of home runs. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the home run, which ignites the atmosphere of the stadium and creates a vortex of excitement, is synonymous with baseball.
This time, we put the spotlight on the players who hit such home runs. Let’s take a look at the strongest slugger of the 21st century while looking back at the results so far.
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Shohei Ohtani, who fought for the home run kingship on the major stage
The first is Shohei Ohtani, who was in contention for the home run kingship in the major leagues in 2021. Although he is a two-way player, this player who competed for the home run king in the majors cannot be removed.
257 batting average, 46 home runs, 100 RBIs, OPS.965, 26 stolen bases. His 40 or more home runs are the first Japanese to surpass Hideki Matsui’s record. In addition, the home run average of this year was 11.7, which is the highest in the American League. He was the undisputed American League MVP for his dual wielding record. This was also the first time since Ichiro, just like the Rookie of the Year.
In the 2022 season, the following year, although the number of home runs was not as high as the previous year, he recorded a batting average of .273, 34 home runs, 95 RBIs, and an OPS of .875. He is the first player in history to hit 30 or more home runs in two consecutive years.
The major difference from other players other than two-sword style is that he has scored 20 or more stolen bases. Since he contributes a lot in the base running part, it can be said that he is more active than the three batting divisions.
In Ohtani’s case, he has a top-class batting record as a Japanese player while also participating as a pitcher, so I would like to expect him to break new records and win titles in the next season and beyond.
【 #angels 】#shohei ohtani No. 46 First batter home run! !
Achieved 100 points in the final game! !
I finished the season with two swords and left a tremendous record of “46 100 RBIs 103 points OPS.965” as a batter✨ Thank you for the fun every day, Ohtani-san! ! We hope to see you next year ????# Japanese player information pic.twitter.com/sg7PYXzzlw— MLB Japan (@MLBJapan) October 4, 2021
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Hideki Matsui became the first Japanese player to hit 30 home runs in the majors.
Hideki Matsui, who recorded 30 home runs in the majors and was the fourth batter for the Giants in the 21st century, cannot be excluded.
In the last years of his Giants era before moving to the Yankees, he always ranked his name in the top three batting divisions. He always won the batting title in three seasons from the age of 26 (2000) when he was fixed at number 4, and was the player closest to the Triple Crown. He hit a home run off of Daisuke Matsuzaka in the All-Stars, and he also recorded the 50th season. He was also strong in the fastball group, and was a batter that seemed to be the fourth hitter, including Japanese players and star characteristics.
In the last season of NPB, he was in a position to aim for the Triple Crown. Ultimately, he set career highs in batting average, home runs, and on-base percentage. He left an impeccable record. With a .692 slugging percentage, he was arguably the best Japanese slugger at the time.
After transferring to the major leagues, he struggled with the balls in the outside corners, fell into a vicious circle of mass-producing second ground balls, and struggled with 16 home runs. But he’s also shown resilience, batting .298 with 31 homers, 108 RBIs and a .912 OPS in the 2004 season. 305 and 116 RBI remained career-highs in the majors the following year, although his home runs declined.
349 batting average, 4 homers, and 13 RBIs in 2009, he won the World Series MVP. Looking at his home run average, he recorded a total of 17.77 in Japan and the United States, and 13.77 when he was a Giant. In terms of home runs, he has 507 home runs in Japan and the United States.
Since he also played as No. 4 for the Yankees, he was undoubtedly the best slugger in the majors until Ohtani came out.
【 #famous scene 】Year 2009 #world series Victory-winning big shot ???? from Pedro Martinez #Hideki Matsui It’s a 2-run home run! ! pic.twitter.com/datt3IWcEb
— MLB Japan (@MLBJapan) November 11, 2020
▲Hideki Matsui in the Yankees x Orioles game (2009) Photo: Thomas Anderson/Aflo
