“Stanton or Judge”: Dave Roberts Reveals Who Can Match Shohei Ohtani’s 118.7 MPH Rocket

“That was just absurd,” said The Los Angeles Dodgers’ center fielder, James Outman. Such statements are no longer rare when it comes to Shohei Ohtani. The two-time MVP has consistently surprised fans with his otherworldly displays. However, while most aren’t surprised by Ohtani’s qualities, there’s one thing that still astounds people: the sheer power that the phenom’s bat generates. 

Shotime entered Nationals Park for the first time in his career on April 23.  In the first inning, he broke his bat but he was about to do something even more special. In the 9th inning, Ohtani hit a tremendous 118.7 mph solo homer that covered 450 feet. This led to the Dodgers winning the game 4-1, but more importantly, they completely won over the clubhouse.

During the postgame conference, Dave Roberts was specifically asked about Shohei Ohtani’s massive home run. The Dodgers skipper noted that only a few players can do that. “It’s kind of like Stanton or Judge. There’s a few guys that can hit a ball like that,” Roberts said. “It was a top-spin liner that reached the second deck. There’s not too many guys that can do that. Shohei, we’ve talked about controlling the strike zone. When he does that, it’s hard to get him out,” Roberts finished. Ohtani’s certainly in an elite company here.

With that hit, Ohtani found himself in another record book. While the season’s still only a month old, that 118.7 mph is the hardest-hit ball of 2024. Shotime has surpassed the 116.7 mph singles hit by Fernando Tatis Jr. and Giancarlo Stanton. Certainly, Ohtani’s debut season with the Blue Crew is turning out to be a massive success for the Japanese superstar.

Ohtani has now reached the 6 home run mark and is just 1 shy of touching his skipper’s record. However, while that could happen at any time, the rest of the Dodgers are just happy that they’re getting to enjoy the Ohtani show.

Shohei Ohtani’s “cruise missile” reignites the Dodgers’ love

“It looks like a cruise missile,” said James Outman (via MLB.com). But while Outman was highly impressed, he wasn’t the only Dodger who had something to say about this massive home run.  “The farthest top-spin ball I’ve ever seen in my life,” Max Muncy said. Later, Muncy noted that in the case of a ‘backspin’, it would have been “out of the stadium for sure.”

Certainly, the Dodgers are happy, as Ohtani is now tied with Mookie Betts for most homers by a Dodger this season. More importantly, he’s leading the ‘Men in Blue’ with a .364 batting average and a 1.107 OPS. That’s the mark of a player who has completely found his groove with his new team. The Los Angeles Dodgers, too, have considerably improved their results in the past few days.

The team was awfully close to losing that .500 record, but now, they are 14-11.  So in a way, the ‘Men in Blue’ are currently not feeling any blues. They’re in a bright mood and are looking to conquer the league with the help of their all-firing two-way phenom.