Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) talks with third base umpire James Hoye (92) in the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 8. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Shohei Ohtani Ties Hall of Famer Ted Williams in Special Baseball History

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Brady Farkas | Last updated Aug 10, 2025 12:58 PM ET

Shohei Ohtani hit his 40th home run of the season in Saturday night's 9-1 Los Angeles Dodgers win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Dodger Stadium.

The blast was certainly instrumental in helping the Dodgers win again, but it also helped Ohtani tie another legend in baseball history.

Per @StatsCentre on social media:

(Related) Most home runs within a player's first 8 career MLB seasons:
329- Ralph Kiner
319- Pujols
299- Eddie Mathews
286- Ryan Howard
278- Adam Dunn
275- Mark Teixeira
269- Ernie Banks
267- Giancarlo Stanton
265- Ohtani
265- Ted Williams
262- Frank Robinson
260- Prince Fielder

(Related) Most home runs within a player's first 8 career MLB seasons:
329- Ralph Kiner
319- Pujols
299- Eddie Mathews
286- Ryan Howard
278- Adam Dunn
275- Mark Teixeira
269- Ernie Banks
267- Giancarlo Stanton
265- Ohtani
265- Ted Williams
262- Frank Robinson
260- Prince Fielder https://t.co/JA6TNLBXJG
— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) August 10, 2025

It's likely that Ohtani will pass both Stanton and Banks on this last by the end of the season, which will further solidify his greatness, but tying Williams is an accomplishment as well.

Arguably the best pure hitter in baseball history, Williams spent 19 years in the big leagues with the Boston Red Sox, missing three years of his prime for military service in World War II.

A 19-time All-Star, Williams was a .344 career hitter. His .482 on-base percentage is the highest in baseball history and he led the major leagues in RBIs three separate times. He's also the last player to ever hit .400 in a season, when he hit .406 during the 1941 season.

As for Ohtani, he's now hitting .282 with a .999 OPS. He's in line to potentially win his fourth MVP Award.

The Dodgers will be back in action on Sunday afternoon against the Blue Jays. First pitch is set for 4:10 p.m. ET as Tyler Glasnow ( LAD) pitches against Eric Lauer (TOR).

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

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