RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani joined elite company after hitting his 147th home run as a Dodger against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday.
Ohtani's home run came in the bottom of the third inning on Wednesday, when he took advantage of a 92.7 mph sinker right in the middle of the zone — crushing it over the left field fence for his 27th homer of the season. His homer made the score of the game 3-2, fueling a 4-2 win to secure a series sweep over the AL Central side.
Only three players in MLB history have hit more than 147 home runs through their first three seasons with a team. Those players are Babe Ruth, who hit 149 with the New York Yankees through three seasons, Alex Rodriguez, who crushed 156 in three years with the Texas Rangers, and Mark McGwire, who has the most with 159 in his first three years with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Ohtani still has the remainder of the regular season, as well as the entirety of the postseason when the Dodgers inevitably make it to October, to hit 12 home runs as he chases McGwire's record.
While Ohtani is still one of the best hitters in MLB this season, balancing his workload between batting and pitching seems to have affected his production with the bat. He still leads the National League with a .937 OPS through 111 games this year, but that total is well below his 1.014 OPS from his MVP season in 2025.
He has 27 homers on the year—less than half his total from 2025 and exactly half of his total from 2024—but is still driving in runs at an elite rate, with 74 RBIs on the season.
The Dodgers won't be too concerned with his "slowed" production at the plate if he can return to the mound before season's end, though, as Ohtani firmly inserted himself into the NL Cy Young conversation before a knee injury shut him down from taking the mound.
Through 14 starts this season, Ohtani had a 1.79 ERA through 85.2 innings pitched, and struck out 96 batters in the process. His last start came early in July, but if the Dodgers get him back before the postseason, he would be a huge boost to the rotation. Until that time comes, though, Ohtani will look to chase down some of the all-time greats as his homer tally climbs.
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