SALT LAKE CITY – Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani hit the 100th home run of his Major League Baseball career in a win over the Oakland Athletics.

The A’s hosted the Angels for a doubleheader at Oakland Coliseum on Saturday, May 14.

After dropping the opening game, 4-3, Ohtani and the Angels bounced back in the nightcap thanks in part to the designated hitter’s homer.

During the fifth inning of action, Ohtani smashed the ball and sent it 418 feet for his seventh home run of the 2022 season.

The hit was a two-run shot that sent Ohtani and Mike Trout home. The home run stretched Los Angeles’ lead to 8-1.

The Angels held on for a 9-1 victory and improved their record to 23-13. Ohtani finished the game 1-5 for one run and two RBIs.

“One hundred is a big number,” Ohtani said after the game through an interpreter via ESPN. “I’m proud of it. But it’s early in the season.”

According to ESPN, the homer “made Ohtani the third Japanese-born player with at least 100 homers in the majors, trailing only Hideki Matsui with 175 and Ichiro Suzuki with 117. Ohtani also joined Babe Ruth as the only players with at least 100 home runs and at least 250 strikeouts as a pitcher.”

This season, Ohtani is hitting .255 with 36 hits, seven home runs, 24 RBIs, 12 walks, five stolen bases. He has an on-base percentage of .314.

As a pitcher, Ohtani is 3-2 with an ERA of 2.78 in six starts.

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