4 teams that have limited Shohei Ohtani to less than 2 home runs
Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is often regarded as one of the greatest baseball players of all time, thanks to his phenomenal prowess as a two-way performer. He's certainly among the feared hitters of his generation and is enjoying his best season with the bat after giving up pitching duties in 2024.
At the moment, Shohei Ohtani is leading all MLB in many statcast categories. His 60.8% hard-hit rate is the highest in baseball this year, as is the 19.8% barrel rate. He's also in the 100th percentile for expected batting average (xBA) and expected slugging (xSLG).
Meanwhile, Ohtani also leads the home run tally in the National League after smashing his 28th of the season this past Saturday. That puts Ohtani on the cusp of a major milestone, as the next shot he hits out of the park will be the 200th home run of his MLB career.
The Dodgers visit the Philadelphia Phillies next for a titanic series between the two powerhouse teams. However, Ohtani hasn't yet hit a home run against a Phillies pitcher. Therefore, we take a look at the teams against whom he has the fewest homers.
Four teams Shohei Ohtani has the fewest home runs against
#1 Philiadeplhia Phillies, 0 HR, 23 AB
As mentioned above, Shohei Ohtani hasn't yet hit a home run against the Philadelphia Phillies.
He has faced the Phillies six times and also has the fewest at-bats against them, as he seldom faced them when he was playing for the Los Angeles Angels. He has a decent 7-23 record against them, but that includes just three RBIs and two extra-base hits.
#2 St. Louis Cardinals, 0 HR, 27 AB
As with the Phillies, Shohei Ohtani didn't get many opportunities with the St. Louis Cardinals when he was playing in the American League for the Los Angeles Angels.
He has an excellent average against the Cardinals, going 9-27 in nine games against them. However, he has managed just three extra-base hits and only one RBI without any home runs.
#3 Miami Marlins, 1 HR, 36 AB
Shohei Ohtani has played 10 games against the Miami Marlins, but his batting record against them is surprisingly mediocre by his staggering standards.
He only has a 6-36 record and has twice as many strikeouts compared to walks earned. Moreover, the Japanese star only has one extra-base hit against the Marlins, which incidentally was a home run.
#4 Washington Nationals, 1 HR, 44 AB
Unsurprisingly, it's another NL team, and Ohtani has faced the Washington Nationals just 11 times. He has a decent average over the Nats, with a 13-44 record with sixRBIs but he has also had 10 strikeouts while earning only four walks in return.
Nevertheless, Ohtani has five extra-baes hits against the Nationals, which includes one home run.