Shohei Ohtani of the LA Dodgers (31) became the first Asian player to surpass 250 career home runs in Major League Baseball. He set the record for the fewest games, achieving 250 home runs and 150 stolen bases in just 944 games. This was 33 games faster than the previous record holder, Alex Rodriguez (977 games).

On May 15 (Korean time), Ohtani started as the designated hitter in the home game against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, where he broke through 250 career home runs with a solo home run in his first at-bat in the bottom of the first inning and another solo home run in the sixth inning.

Ohtani's bat lit up from his first at-bat in the bottom of the first inning. He took a 90.7 mph (146.0 km/h) cutter from San Francisco right-handed starter, Landon Lupe, which was right down the middle on the fourth pitch, and hit it over the right-center wall. The solo home run traveled 419 feet (127.7 m) at a speed of 110.3 mph (177.5 km/h) with a launch angle of 27 degrees. This was his 24th home run of the season, marking his first home run in 11 games since April 3 against the New York Mets.

In his fourth at-bat in the bottom of the sixth inning, he exploded with another home run. After a full-count battle against San Francisco right-hander Tristan Beck, Ohtani hit a solo home run on the sixth pitch, a 77.7 mph (125.0 km/h) curve that came in on the outside. Though it felt like he was just swinging for contact with a delayed timing on the outside pitch, the powerful hit traveled at a speed of 101.2 mph (162.9 km/h), with a launch angle of 26 degrees, flying 384 feet (117.0 m) over the wall. The score extended to 8-0 with this solo home run, marking his 25th of the season.

In a Korean derby featuring Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco) and Kim Hye-sung (Dodgers), Choo Shin-soo, the player with the most home runs by a South Korean in Major League history (218), who participated in the KBS special commentary, expressed his amazement at Ohtani's home run, stating, "It's unbelievable. The outside breaking ball didn’t come in but rather flowed out. I wonder how many players can pull that off to hit a home run."

This home run also marked Ohtani's 250th career home run. After hitting his 219th home run on September 18 of last year, breaking the record of 218 career home runs held by Choo Shin-soo, Ohtani added 31 home runs in less than a year to become the first Asian player to reach 250 home runs.

With 156 stolen bases recorded, Ohtani achieved 250 home runs and 150 stolen bases in his career after just 944 games. According to MLB.com, his record of 250 home runs and 150 stolen bases is the fewest games ever, surpassing the previous record held by Alex Rodriguez by 33 games (977 games). Rodriguez, known for his great speed, played a total of 2,784 games over 22 seasons, recording 696 home runs and 329 stolen bases.

Ohtani's achievement of 250 home runs and 150 stolen bases was significantly faster than Rodriguez, who was an exceptionally talented player. Excluding the 16 games Ohtani played solely as a pitcher, he has actually stepped to the plate as a batter in only 928 games, making this record even more remarkable.

Ohtani, maintaining a three-home run lead over Kyle Schwarber (Philadelphia Phillies, 22 home runs) in the home run institutional sector, aims for his third consecutive home run title. He became the first Asian player to be crowned as the home run king in the American League (44 home runs) in 2023 while with the LA Angels, and after moving to the Dodgers via free agency last year, he also became the first Asian player to surpass 50 home runs in a season (54 home runs), winning the National League home run title.

In a post-game interview, Ohtani stated, "It’s been a while since I hit a home run, so it was a good one. The first home run was more meaningful as it was the opening score." He added, "In the first at-bat of an inning, the opponent usually pitches straight. As the innings progress, they tend to pitch more carefully due to the score difference or scoring situations. I think the first at-bat has the most opportunities to swing at pitches that come into the strike zone." Seven of his 25 home runs this year have come from leading off in the first inning.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts noted, "I didn’t know Ohtani hadn’t hit a home run in 10 games. Still, he catches up and balances well. It seems today he has returned to form with those two home runs. Over the past ten days, he has been chasing a lot of low pitches. Today, he did well with high pitches and showed good swings. When he hits, the whole team benefits."

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