Shohei Ohtani: 4 homers in his last 8 games!　The amazing “frontal collision hitting” method that overturns hitting theory from the very foundation.

He was already in a higher gear before returning to pitching!

He swung the bat slightly over the top, caught the bottom of the ball, and spun it into the stands – and then carried it into the stands. This is an ancient hitting theory known to all baseball fans, developed by Japanese players with less power than the big leaguers.

However, Shohei Otani, 30, who has hit four homers in his last eight games, has turned this theory on its head (as of May 13, Japan time). Professional baseball critic Takahiro Tokitsu explains.

Otani’s hitting style is a ‘head-on collision hitting style,’ in which the ball and bat are in contact with each other. It is true that he has an upper swing when hitting low pitches, but basically he strikes the center of the ball with the center of the bat and transmits all of his power to the ball.

In order to hit a home run with spin on a major league fastball, you need to catch the ball in front of you. In fact, Hideki Matsui (50), who hit 31 home runs in a season with the Yankees, hit fewer long balls to left field than he did in his NPB days.

But Ohtani, with his ‘head-on collision hitting,’ is able to pull the ball to the very edge and see it. This method also increases the number of hits in the opposite direction and increases the batting average. However, there is a major disadvantage to this hitting method. The bat is more likely to be pushed back by a straight ball than if it is caught in front of it, making it more difficult to hit for distance.

Even so, Ohtani boasts a batting velocity so high that the infielders he is guarding do not like it, and he has hit home runs in excess of 150 meters. This is because his power and physical sharpness are out of the ordinary. Only Otani and Aaron Judge (33, Yankees) can hit a ball like that in the whole world.

Ohtani’s form dipped temporarily in mid-April. This was evident in the increase in pop flies that hit the bottom of the ball and second-strike balls that were the result of wrist kneading.

But now Ohtani is hitting as if he were celebrating the birth of his daughter, and he is producing home runs at a pace comparable to last season, when he hit 54 home runs.

If he hits more long balls to left field, like the double he hit against the Diamondbacks on May 10, he should be in even better shape. There is still one more step to go. Ohtani is known as the “June Man,” and he tends to peak in June. If he continues like this, he may show a huge explosion that far surpasses his performance in recent years. I wouldn’t be surprised if his batting average reaches .330 and his home runs reach 60.

While the timing of his return as a pitcher has yet to be determined, Otani has stepped up a gear as a hitter.

With his one and only “head-on collision hitting” as a weapon, will he be able to present his family with the home run king and league MVP for the third year in a row?

From the May 30, 2025 issue of FRIDAY