Shohei Ohtani is on his way to breaking his own manager’s record with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ohtani homered on Wednesday for the first time since joining the Dodgers.
The home run placed Ohtani in a three-way tie for third on the franchise’s all-time list for most home runs by a Japanese-born player. Former Dodgers pitchers Kenta Maeda and Kazuhisa Ishii each hit one home run in their career with the team. Former NL Rookie of the Year pitcher Hideo Nomo hit four home runs with the Dodgers. And none other than current Dodgers manager Dave Roberts tops the list with seven home runs.
Roberts is half-Japanese and was born in Okinawa. He played for the Dodgers from 2002-2004 and hit seven of his 23 career home runs while with them. Roberts is in his ninth season as the team’s manager.
It probably won’t be too long before Ohtani surpasses Roberts on that list. Something tells us Roberts won’t be too bitter about being surpassed.
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