Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) swings at a pitch during the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Dodger Stadium on July 1. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge Make Up Part of Special Trio in Baseball History

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Brady Farkas | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 10:00 AM ET

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani hit his 30th home run of the season on Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox, helping him join some rare big-league history alongside Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners.

Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

Seasons with 3 or more 30+ homer players before All-Star break:

2025 Ohtani, Judge, Raleigh
2019 Alonso, Bellinger, Yelich
1998 McGwire, Sosa, Griffey, Greg Vaughn
1994 Griffey, Frank Thomas, Matt Williams
1969 Jackson, McCovey, Frank Howard

Seasons with 3 or more 30+ homer players before All-Star break:

2025 Ohtani, Judge, Raleigh
2019 Alonso, Bellinger, Yelich
1998 McGwire, Sosa, Griffey, Greg Vaughn
1994 Griffey, Frank Thomas, Matt Williams
1969 Jackson, McCovey, Frank Howard https://t.co/2WhRTIPop8
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) July 2, 2025

The reigning National League MVP, Ohtani is putting himself in serious contention to win the award for the second year in a row. He is a three-time MVP in total when you include his prior career with the Los Angeles Angels. He's also one of just two players in history to win the MVP in both leagues, joining Hall of Famer Frank Robinson.

Last season, Ohtani hit 54 homers and stole 59 bases, making him the only player ever to go 50/50 in a season. He's running less this season, as he had only 11 steals entering play on Tuesday.

Ohtani has already wrapped up an appearance in the All-Star Game later this month in Atlanta. As the top vote-getter in the National League, he'll start at designated hitter.

The Dodgers and White Sox will meet again on Wednesday night with first pitch coming at 10:10 p.m. ET. Right-hander Sean Burke will take the mound for Chicago while lefty Clayton Kershaw pitches for LA.

Kershaw is 4-0 with a 3.03 ERA. He's three strikeouts away from 3,000 in his career.

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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