On a regular basis, Angels star Shohei Ohtani makes the game look effortless. So it’s only fitting that he added a little bit of casual style to his latest feat of strength.
In his first plate appearance against the Rangers on Wednesday, Ohtani clobbered a high fastball from Jon Gray well over the fence in center field, extending his American League home run lead with his 42nd blast of the season. In doing so, he swung so hard that his helmet fell off his head—and, rather than pick it up, he began his home run trot without it.
Just look at that lettuce flowing in the breeze.
Shohei Ohtani hit HR No. 42, and it's one I've never seen.
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) August 17, 2023
He lost his helmet during the swing and circled the bases helmet-less.
It's 1-0 Angels in the first. pic.twitter.com/NLkgalfliS
The ball left Ohtani’s bat with an exit velocity of 109.1 miles per hour, according to Statcast, traveling 437 feet. It’s just his third home run of the month after hitting nine in July and an eye-popping 15 in June.
Atlanta’s Matt Olson recently surpassed Ohtani for the major league lead in home runs, entering Wednesday with 43. But, at least to our knowledge, he has none in which he rounded the bases without a helmet, so that distinction has to count for something for the two-way superstar.
