Shohei Ohtani hits baseball through roof at Tokyo Dome, legend grows
The global buzz surrounding two-way (pitcher and designated hitter/outfielder) Shohei Ohtani (Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – Nippon Professional Baseball) being the world’s best all-around player continued, as the young prodigy hit a ball through the roof of the Tokyo Dome during a contest versus the Netherlands in the WBSC Global Series 2016.
TOKYO — The global buzz surrounding two-way star (pitcher and designated hitter/outfielder) Shohei Ohtani (Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – Nippon Professional Baseball) being the world’s best all-around player continued, as the young prodigy hit a ball through the roof of the Tokyo Dome during a contest versus the Netherlands in the WBSC Global Series 2016.
Had the Tokyo Dome not interfered with the orbit of Ohtani’s blast, the ball was on course to travel more than 160 metres (525 feet), per media reports.
In the four-game WBSC Global Series 2016 against Mexico and Netherlands, Ohtani went 5-11 with three doubles and also hit a home run that landed in a stadium tunnel.
Ohtani, who holds the NPB record for the fastest pitch at 165 km/h (102.5 mph), did not pitch in the international friendlies.
In the 2016 NPB season, which was won by the Fighters, Othani went 10-4 with a 1.86 ERA, while hitting .322 with 22 home runs in less than 400 plate appearances.
Ohtani, then with “Otani” on his back, made his debut in international competition — pitching and playing outfield for Japan — in the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2012 in Seoul, Korea, and also represented Japan in international baseball’s flagship competition, WBSC PREMIER12, last November.
