Shohei Ohtani may only be in this sixth year of MLB, but he is already one of the greatest players to ever grace the league. He won MVP in 2021 and finished second in voting last season. He's already hit over 100 home runs and has had a triple-digit, RBI season. Ohtani broke baseball in the best possible way.
But what makes Ohtani so great is that he is also a fantastic pitcher. He has a career ERA of 2.92 and finished fourth in Cy Young voting last year. Furthermore, Ohtani has hit more home runs in his career (136) than he has allowed runs as a pitcher (130). This is despite playing for the Angels, a team that has never failed year in, year out, to underperform and waste Ohtani's prime. It even led to the creation of the hilarious Tungsten Arm O'Doyle meme. Ohtani is truly a one-of-a-kind player. However, Ohtani has once again made history.
Ohtani Joins Babe Ruth In Exclusive Club
On May 3, the Angels (15-14) traveled to the ailing St. Louis Cardinals (10-20). Ohtani was pitching as well as hitting as the designated hitter. It wasn't Ohtani's cleanest outing on the mound as he gave up four runs on five hits in five innings. However, he also struck out 13 batters, taking his career total to exactly 500. This season, he has retired 59 batters on the mound via strikeout. At the plate, Ohtani went 3-for-5 with an RBI. The Angels won 6-4, marking their third win in a row.
With his 500th strikeout, Ohtani joined very exclusive company. The only other player to hit at least 100 home runs and throw at least 500 strikeouts was the legendary Babe Ruth. Ruth began his career as a pitcher before becoming a position player about a decade into his career. But that wasn't even the only history Ohtani made. He also became the second-fastest player to reach 500 strikeouts, doing so in 388 2/3 innings. Once again, the humble Ohtani has destroyed the perception of MLB baseball. The world is truly playing Ohtaniball. The Angels will close out against the Cardinals in St. Louis on May 5 before enjoying a six-game home stand against the Rangers and Astros.
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