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Angels' Shohei Ohtani launches longest career home run for 30th of season
By Joe Morgan
Published July 01, 2023
Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani capped off his spectacular month of June with a bang.
Ohtani launched his 30th home run of the season in the sixth inning of LA’s 6-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks Friday night.
Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) wearing a kabuto in the dugout after hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning of an MLB baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 30, 2023, at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA. (John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The 493-foot bomb was the longest of Ohtani’s career and the longest of the 2023 MLB season.
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Ohtani finished the month of June with 15 home runs, 29 RBI’s and a batting average of .394.
"I hear about all those 500-foot shots from guys in the past, but I don't think I'm ever going to see one," Angels manager Phil Nevin said, according to MLB.com. "Because I [don’t think it’s possible] to see one hit farther than the one I saw.
"The calculations before and now are a little different, but I don't think there's a ball that can be hit farther than that one. Just awesome."
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Los Angeles Angels' Shohei Ohtani after hitting a single during the eighth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 28, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Ohtani hit his 14th home run during the month of June against the Chicago White Sox Thursday afternoon, setting a franchise record for the most home runs in a single month.
The ninth-inning, two-run bomb broke the previous franchise record of 13 home runs set by Ohtani, Albert Pujols and Tim Salmon.
Ohtani is now just the ninth player to hit 30 home runs in a season before by July 1st, and the first since Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles in 2013.
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Shohei Ohtani, #17 of the Los Angeles Angels, at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on June 29, 2023, in Anaheim, California. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
"He's in a really good place," Nevin said. "It's fun to watch. If we get a couple of guys going around him, we’ve seen Mike [Trout] do that the last two days with five hits. When those guys are going, they can carry us.
"Obviously, it’s going to take everybody. But when those two guys are playing as well as they are, they can pretty much carry this club."
Despite Ohtani’s moon shot, the Angeles dropped their third game in a row, falling to 44-40 on the season.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/angels-shohei-ohtani-launches-longest-career-home-run-30th-of-season