It seems like Los Angeles Angels two-way player Shohei Ohtani does something historic and that was certainly the case on Tuesday night.
During LA’s game against the Houston Astros, Ohtani recorded his 502 career strikeout, which is notable because of who he just surpassed when it comes to two-way players.
“Shohei Ohtani has reached 502 career pitching strikeouts, which surpasses Babe Ruth’s career total (per [Elias Sports]),” wrote the Los Angeles Angels PR account. “Ohtani now has the most pitching strikeouts among players to hit at least 100 career home runs.”
Ohtani also added his 503rd and 504th strikeouts later that inning.
Ruth finished his Hall of Fame career with 501 career pitching strikeouts and 714 home runs. So, as some have pointed out, it might be a while yet before Ohtani surpasses The Babe on that second number.
In the meantime, the MLB world continues to be impressed by the Angels’ superstar player and his record-breaking accomplishments.
I understand why we still make the comparisons, but Babe Ruth was never this good. https://t.co/CwCUimWHqU
— Jason Foster (@ByJasonFoster) May 10, 2023
It remains to be seen if the Angels are able to keep Ohtani around this season. They’re currently 20-16 and competing in the AL West, which makes it less likely that they’ll trade him during the season. It was reported that if the team isn’t competitive by the time the trade deadline arrives, they would consider trading their star player.