On Thursday, Dodgers phenom Shohei Ohtani provided another reason why he is the favorite to win the NL MVP. During a route of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Ohtani delivered another gem when he hit his career-best 54th home run, per MLB.com.
It came in the top of the fourth inning with the Dodgers leading 4-0. He hit it like a golf ball into right-center and into the pool at Chase Field in Arizona.
Shohei to the pool! pic.twitter.com/Iy1gAocCnn
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 25, 2025
At this point, Ohtani is batting .281 with 54 home runs, 101 RBIs, and 169 hits. It is culminating into another history making year for Ohtani. On Tuesday, he pitched six innings against the Diamondbacks for the first time as part of the Dodgers.
He recorded eight strikeouts although the Dodgers lost 5-4. Currently, Los Angeles is 89-69 and are 2.5 games ahead of the San Diego Padres in the National League West. Last Friday, they clinched a playoff spot following a 6-3 win over the San Francisco Giants.
At this point, the magic number for Los Angeles to win the division is one game, either a way or a Padres lost. With that, Los Angeles will notch their 12th consecutive division title. In the process, they are looking to repeat as World Series champions.
Shohei Ohtani's place in Dodgers history
Since arriving in Los Angeles, Ohtani continues to amaze as the anomaly that he is. When it comes to the Dodger organization, there isn't real evidence to link him to the great players of the pass. However, he has surpassed some of the LA greats who came before.
When he hit his 100th home run, Ohtani did so in 294 games with the Dodgers. In the process, he surpassed Gil Hodges and Duke Snyder. In May, he equaled Snyder and Pedro Guerrero for the most home runs in the month with 15.
Plus, Ohtani was the first Dodger to hit 50 home runs in a season since Shawn Green came close with 49 in 2001.