ARLINGTON, Texas — Shohei Ohtani has added a unique achievement to his resume: becoming the first player to secure a win and hit a home run in All-Star play.
“I haven’t really hit well during the All-Star Game, so I’m just relieved that I put a good ball in play,” Ohtani said through a translator after hitting a three-run homer that put the National League ahead in their 5-3 loss to the American League.
Before this game, Ohtani had been 1 for 4 with two walks and a strikeout in his three previous All-Star appearances. As the first two-way All-Star for three consecutive years through 2023, he won the 2021 game at Denver’s Coors Field.
In the All-Star Game, Ohtani walked in the first inning against Baltimore pitcher Corbin Burnes. In the third inning, following singles by Jurickson Profar and Ketel Marte, Ohtani hit a 400-foot splitter from Tanner Houck into the right-field seats for his first All-Star home run.
Focused on having a regular at-bat, Ohtani succeeded in making a significant play. He is now 1 for 5 with three walks against Houck and earlier hit an RBI single while pitching the Los Angeles Angels to an 8-0 victory over Boston on May 5, 2022.
“A splitter, just down, middle,” Houck said of the All-Star home run. “Get it away a little bit more, maybe a little bit better pitch.”
Ohtani is currently hitting .316 with an NL-high of 29 home runs, 69 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He became the first Dodgers player to homer in an All-Star Game since Mike Piazza did in 1996. This season, Ohtani is not pitching due to elbow surgery he underwent last September.
During the night, one notable matchup saw Ohtani face Oakland reliever Mason Miller in the fifth inning. Miller initially threw a 100.6 mph pitch for a strike, followed by a slider, a 101.8 mph pitch for another strike, and finally a slider that Ohtani missed.
“Overall, very heavy,” Ohtani said, remarking on Miller’s pitching quality.
Miller revealed his strategy: “I was just trying to execute fastballs down. I know once I established that, the slider below is open, so I got right to it.”