PHOTO: Shohei Ohtani flashes 'Godzilla smile' as Dodgers superstar tops Hideki Matsui in most MLB home runs for any Japanese-born player
Shohei Ohtani's two-run shot in the third inning of Sunday's game against the Mets helped the Dodgers clinch a 10-0 win in the series finale. With his 176th home run, Ohtani tops Hideki Matsui (175 HRs) in most MLB home runs for any Japanese-born player.
After hitting the momentous milestone, team photographer Jon Soohoo captured Ohtani showing off his best "Godzilla smile."
Moreover, this was Ohtani's fifth homer of the season. Ohtani still has a long way to go to close the gap between his 450 career RBIs and Ichiro's 780 and become the Japanese player with the most runs batted in.
Hideki "Godzilla" Matsui penned a $21 million contract with the New York Yankees in late 2002 after gaining notoriety as a member of NPB's Yomiuri Giants. In his second season in the Bronx, Matsui hit 31 home runs, contributing to his second-place finish in AL MVP voting that season.
"SHOHEI OHTANI HAS PASSED HIDEKI MATSUI FOR MOST MLB HR EVER FOR A JAPANESE BORN PLAYER" - Ben Verlander
Ohtani's jersey is set to feature in an exhibition at the Baseball Hall of Fame, which will coincide with Seattle Mariners legend Ichiro Suzuki's induction ceremony.
Record after broken record, Shohei Ohtani retains trademark humility
After reaching the milestone, Ohtani joked with the reporters that he was aiming to shatter his own manager Dave Roberts' personal Dodgers home run record. From 2002 to 2004, Roberts was a member of the squad and hit seven home runs, while Ohtani hit five.
"Honestly, I was just relieved I was able to get it over with. (It was) not something I was cognizant of when I first started my career here, but as I got to know about it," Ohtani said.
Now, Shohei Ohtani will turn to emulating Matsui's postseason success. Matsui was integral in delivering the 2009 World Series to the Yankees fanbase. So far, Ohtani has yet to compete in a postseason game since he made his MLB debut back in 2017.