"Shohei Ohtani clears Aaron Judge by so much"; "Not one thing Judge does better" - Dodgers fans ecstatic as Ohtani hits career-high 46th HR

Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani has focused entirely on batting this 2024 season. The 30-year-old, recovering from elbow surgery, cannot pitch this year but has been excelling in his role as a designated hitter.

His determination at the plate is reflected in his NL-leading home-run hitting. In the Los Angeles Dodgers' game against the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday, he hit his 46th homer of the season, matching his career-high set with the LA Angels in 2021.

The 450-foot home run, which had an exit velocity of 116.7 mph, came in the fifth inning of Sunday’s game. With this homer, Shohei Ohtani became the first player to achieve 46 home runs and 46 stolen bases in the same season.

Fans reacted to the news, with many comparing his stats to New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge.

“He clears Aaron judge by so much,” a comment reads.

"There's not one thing that Aaron Judge does better than this man," added another fan.

"This guy is simply put, the greatest to ever play the game! It might be Americas Pastime but the land of the red sun has produced an absolute freak and no one can come close to this guy," added one fan.

Ohtani is now just five homers behind the major league home run leader Aaron Judge, who has hit 51 home runs. Several other fan reactions continued with many lauding the Japanese superstar.

"50/50 better than 60+ homeruns," one fan chipped in.

“Tied career High and still going 🦄,” another comment reads.

“This MAN ain’t stopping anymore 💪🏼,” someone wrote.

Thanks in part to Ohtani's bomb, the LA Dodgers won their three-game series finale 4-0 against the Cleveland Guardians at Dodger Stadium.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts speaks about Shohei Ohtani’s 46-46 milestone

Shohei Ohtani is hitting .291 this 2024 season, with 113 runs scored and 101 RBIs along with 46 homers and 46 stolen bases. Discussing his performance and his historic 46-46 milestone, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said (via MLB.com):

“I think he wants to be the best player that’s ever played this game, and one way to do that is to do something nobody has ever done, which he has already done. But you also like round numbers.”

The LA Dodgers are 86-57 with a .601 winning percentage and lead the NL West. They will open another three-game series against the Chicago Cubs on Monday at Dodger Stadium.