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Shohei Ohtani Joins Elite Japanese Company After Reaching Career Milestone vs. Cardinals

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Dave Ettinger | Last updated Aug 6, 2025 9:00 PM ET

Shohei Ohtani continues to separate himself from the rest of Major League Baseball. The two-way superstar, showcased his unique, all-around abilities yet again on Wednesday, taking the mound as the game's staring pitcher as well as the leadoff designated hitter.

With the Los Angeles Dodgers taking on the St. Louis Cardinals, the Dodgers were looking to win back-to-back games for the first time in over a week. And while the Dodgers suffered a 5-3 loss to the Cardinals, Ohtani reached an impressive milestone in the process.

Ohtani hit a 440-foot, two-run home run in the third inning, giving the Dodgers a 2-1 lead. With the monster blast, Ohtani reached a career milestone, joining two compatriots from his home country of Japan along the way.

Ohtani's home run was career hit No. 1,000 of his MLB career. He becomes just the third Japanese-born, MLB player to reach this milestone. The other players are Ichiro Suzuki (3,089 hits) and Hideki Matsui (1,253 hits).

MLB also took to their official X account to congratulate Ohtani for his amazing accomplishment.

Congratulations to Shohei Ohtani on 1,000 Major League hits! https://t.co/pWO1KfVLw6 pic.twitter.com/pbco61cSrs
— MLB (@MLB) August 6, 2025

Ohtani didn't just get it done from the plate on Wednesday. He threw four solid innings, giving up just one earned run on two hits while striking out a season-high eight batters.

Ohtani continues to build up his pitch count, throwing 54 pitches across those four innings (season high). This was his eighth start of the season, and he now holds an ERA of 2.37. He also continues to miss bats at a high rate, as he's struck out 25 batters in 19 innings pitched this season.

Suzuki ranks No. 25 all-time on the career MLB hits list. He reached the milestone during his fifth season while playing for the Seattle Mariners in 2005. Matsui, reached the milestone during his ninth season in 2010, after winning his lone World Series title with the Yankees in 2009.

Ohtani reaches the milestone during his eighth season on hit No. 122 on the season. He remains the presumptive favorite to win his third consecutive MVP award and fourth in the past five years.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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