Shohei Ohtani opened up the 2022 season with the Los Angeles Angels on a sluggish note. Over his opening 13 at-bats against the Houston Astros, he recorded a mere one hit.
Ohtani got back on track on Sunday against the reigning American League champions, as he roped a double down right field in the third inning.
Double Sho ✅
Shohei Ohtani doubles in the third inning with a 119.1 MPH Exit Velocity on the baseball. ⚾️😎
Credit: Ballys#大谷翔平 #Ohtani #Angels pic.twitter.com/vVXIUx4icA— Anaheim Sports (@AnaheimSports1) April 10, 2022
This was not just another double from the 2021 American League MVP Award winner. He notched an exit velocity of 119.1 mph on the hit, which is both a new career-high for him and also the highest posted by a left-handed hitter in the Statcast era.
Article Continues BelowOhtani broke his own record; he logged a 119.0 exit velocity on a double during an April 10 game against the Kansas City Royals in the 2021 regular season.
More so, Ohtani is now the third player with multiple 119.0-plus mph batted balls since Statcast began tracking such stats in 2015. Only New York Yankees sluggers Aaron Judge (28) and Giancarlo Stanton (six) sit above him on this leaderboard.
Ohtani’s power prowess was well on display last season, which included 46 home runs recorded and multiple 100.0-plus mph batted balls.
The Angels slugger sure is a one-of-a-kind talent in MLB today, and overall, this hit could be just the start of a hot streak for him.