Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani hit a two-run homer against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday at Dodgers Stadium, marking the 500th and 501st RBIs of his MLB career.
He became the third Japanese player to pass 500 RBIs in MLB. Hideki Matsui, who primarily played for the New York Yankees, recorded 760 RBIs in his career, while Ichiro Suzuki tallied 780 RBIs in a career spent primarily with the Seattle Mariners. Both Matsui and Suzuki have retired.
Through Wednesday’s games, Ohtani had logged 64 RBIs, the third most in the National League, while hitting a league-leading 27 homers to go along with a batting average of .319, also the highest in the league.
Ohtani recorded 166 RBIs across five seasons with the Pacific League’s Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters.
On Wednesday, Ohtani was officially named to the All-Star team following a fan vote, becoming the first player to draw four consecutive starts at designated hitter for the Midsummer Classic. The two-way star was also the AL’s starting pitcher for the 2021 game.
The pitchers and reserves for both teams — totaling 46 players in all — will be chosen via player ballots and selections made through the commissioner’s office. The full rosters will be announced on Sunday.