The two-way superstar’s three-run blast on the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole in the sixth inning put the Los Angeles Angels ahead, and they eventually secured a 3-2 win over the Yankees.
Through this feat, Ohtani also became the first Japanese-born player with multiple 30-homer seasons.
Ohtani said he was “just honored, happy and humbled” to hear of his performance. “But I just want to stay healthy and finish strong.”
The reigning MVP is in a race for the American League’s Most Valuable Player award with the Yankees’ Aaron Judge — something he admitted propelled his performance on Wednesday.
“It definitely leads to motivation to do better and try to go for this hardware,” Ohtani said. “It’s something I think about. But mostly I take it game by game and shot by shot. At the end of the day we’ll add it all up.”
Ohtani, who netted the winner for the second time in a three-game series against the Yankees, has hit three home runs in his last four games.
“With the fans and the way the stadium was, it was going to be something like that,” said Phil Nevin, Angels interim manager.
“One of the stars just came up here. Sho caught a good one. He’s been swinging the racquet well all three days. As a fan it’s been a great day and I’m sure the last few days have been fun.”