Ohtani crushes homer, pulls off unprecedented All-Star feat

ARLINGTON — For all that Shohei Ohtani has accomplished since coming to the Major Leagues, he had never hit a home run in the All-Star Game.

Ohtani launched a three-run homer against Tanner Houck of the Red Sox, snapping a scoreless tie in the third inning. It was Ohtani’s first home run in his four All-Star Game appearances, making him the only player in MLB history to earn a win on the mound (Colorado, 2021) and hit a home run in his All-Star Game career. It was also the first long ball by a Dodgers hitter in an All-Star Game since Mike Piazza took Cleveland’s Charles Nagy deep at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia back in 1996.

Ohtani had made history by becoming the first player to start four straight Midsummer Classics as a designated hitter. He drew a walk against AL starter Corbin Burnes in his first trip to the plate, but his second plate appearance proved to be far more impactful.

A leadoff single by Jurickson Profar and a base hit by Ketel Marte put two runners on base for the NL, giving Houck little wiggle room against Ohtani. The two-time AL MVP took two balls to start the at-bat, then jumped on an 88.7 mph splitter, drilling it deep to right-center field. The ball settled in the stands a Statcast-projected 400 feet later, clocked at 103.7 mph off the bat.