"That’s Barry territory" - Shohei Ohtani earns Barry Bonds comparisons, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts relates Oracle Park home run to former teammate
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani showed his dominant performance on Tuesday night against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. He had hit a sky-high home run that had Dodgers manager Dave Roberts reminiscing about a legendary hitter, Barry Bonds.
"You don’t see many guys hitting the ball (to) that part of the ballpark that far. Fortunately, I played with one here. That was pretty impressive. That’s Barry territory,” said manager Dave Roberts.
The towering shot that Ohtani hit against Keaton Winn’s pitch travelled at a distance of about 446 feet. The exit velocity of the hit was about 113.4 mph, and it landed at the brick facade of the Oracles Stadium in the right centre.
The comparison that Dave Roberts made is understandable, as Bonds was a phenomenal player. He was known for his incredible power to hit balls to great distances. He holds the MLB record for most home runs hit (762) and most home runs in a season.
He has been an All-Star 14 times and has also been a National League MVP seven times. He had hit 16 long-shot home runs at Oracle Park, which was then known as the AT&T Stadium, at the age of 42.
At just 28 Ohtani is still reaching new heights. This season, he has hit 12 home runs in 36 appearances. On May 5 against the Atlanta Braves, Ohtani hit two home runs, which was the 17th multi-homer of his career. One of the shots he hit that day travelled 464 feet. The three-time All-Star holds a batting average of .361 and a RBI of 30
While it's quite easy to say if Ohtani will reach the legendary heights of Barry Bonds, he's undoubtedly on a path to becoming a baseball superstar.
The reason behind Shohei Ohtani’s recent great performance
Shohei Ohtani has been performing really well. His recent success seems to be linked to a return to a normal sleep cycle. He has a slash line of (362/.427/.680)
"Initially I really didn't have much sleep obviously with the things that were happening, but now I've been able to really have a pretty consistent routine, been able to sleep well, so I think those are leading to good results," said Ohtani with the help of his interpreter Will Ireton.
Ohtani said that he was able to return to his optimal sleep cycle since the incidents regarding the gambling case have dropped off. The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants 10-2 on Tuesday.