Shohei Ohtani keeps showing that he doesn't need the Home Run Derby to hit tape-measure home runs.
The Angels slugger launched another moon shot Friday night — a 463-foot no-doubter that reached the right-field upper deck at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
MORE: Home Run Derby odds, prediction
Ohtani to the MOON. 😳 pic.twitter.com/BeZ3Ek9gF6
— MLB (@MLB) July 10, 2021
If you want to get a sense for how far that ball went, here's where it reportedly landed:
Here is where Ohtani’s homer landed. pic.twitter.com/YVILijLkUT
— Tim Booth (@ByTimBooth) July 10, 2021
The solo shot gave Ohtani 33 home runs in the Angels' first 87 games this season, which puts him on pace for 60 in a full season. He has 16 in his last 21 games, which is an American League single-season record for any 21-game span.
Shohei Ohtani of the @Angels now has 16 home runs in his last 21 games.
— Stats By STATS (@StatsBySTATS) July 10, 2021
That's the most HR by any player over a 21-game span in a single season in American League history.
Ohtani's last five home runs have all had an estimated distance of at least 400 feet, according to Baseball Savant. The average distance is 434.2 feet. The homer Friday was the longest of the group.
It wasn't his longest of the year, of course; he had a 470-footer in June.
And it's a good bet that Ohtani will hit some really long drives when he competes in the Derby on Monday in Denver. MLB is going to use juiced balls for the event and Coors Field is a mile high.
Watch out, Rockpile.
