The Joy of Sox · Jul 21, 2023
Ohtani Taking Serious Aim At 60 Home Runs This Year
Through almost 100 games, free-agent-to-be Shohei Ohtani is hitting home runs at roughly the same pace Aaron Judge did last season when the Yankees slugger set an American League record with 62 dongs.
The 2023 Angels have played 97 games and Ohtani has hit 35 home runs. That pace would give him 58.5 home runs for the 162-game season.
When the 2022 Yankees had played 97 games, Judge had hit 37 home runs. (He had 34 through 94 games.)
Ohtani belted 15 home runs in June, with a batting line of .394/.492/.952 for a 1.444 OPS. His average this month is only .277, but he has a 1.109 OPS, thanks to a preponderance of extra-base hits (1 double, 2 triples, 5 home runs, and only 5 singles).
