Shohei Ohtani: May is just the beginning for the Warriors! The amazing “left hand push in” technique will make him explode even more in June!

The number of opposite-field bombs also surged to 15 homers in May alone, on pace for 62 for the year!!!!

In May, Shohei Ohtani (30) was truly a Warriors player.

The 15 homers he hit in the month of May is tied for the most in his career, tying the record set in June of 2011, and since he hit seven homers in the month of May last year, when he hit 54, we can say that Ohtani is in great shape.

Also, the 62 homers he hit between June 1 of last season and May 31 of this year ranks first in the majors, surpassing the Yankees’ Aaron Judge (33), who has 59. He is even closing in on Barry Bonds’ (60) major league record of 73 homers in a single year,” said a major media reporter covering the area.

Has Otani already reached his peak? Takehiko Kobayakawa, a baseball commentator, pointed out that “May was just the beginning, and he will get even better from June onward,” and continued, “Actually, it is a sign that he is doing well.

In fact, it was only in the latter half of May that he began to hit more long balls in the opposite direction, which is a sign that he is doing well. Recently, Ohtani has been able to get one shot at a sweet ball without having to deal with difficult pitches. This is evidence that he is able to keep his eyes on the ball for a longer period of time without his body plunging forward.”

Nevertheless, the longer the interval between the pitcher’s release and impact, the greater the risk of being inserted by the batter. Even so, Ohtani has been hitting the ball into the left field stands as hard as if a right-handed hitter had pulled him. Why is this? The key words are “power of the left half of the body” and “push.

In most cases, right-handed batters tend to use their right hand, which is their dominant arm, and their right hip to “pull” the bat out of the ground. In this case, the point of impact needs to be placed in front, so the ball is skewed toward the right side.

However, Ohtani has abnormally developed power in his left hand, which is not his dominant arm, and in the left half of his body. He holds his left elbow taut and swings so that his elbow strikes the open left side at the timing of impact. In this way, his left arm wraps around his body and the bat accelerates greatly, allowing him to “push” the ball into the air without losing the momentum of a major-league fastball.

It is easy to put into words, but Otani’s overwhelming body balance and core strength are the key to this feat. I could never hit it that way (laughs).

If you look at the photo, you will see that Otani’s left elbow is indeed close to his left side, and his palm is pointing upward at an angle similar to that of a boxer who strikes with an uppercut. Not only does he use his arm strength and hip rotation, but he even mobilizes the strength of his back muscles to push the ball into the ground.

Having made his superb technique his own, Ohtani is expected to explode even further in June. His goal is to reach the major league monthly home run record of 20 set by Sammy Sosa (56).

From the June 20, 2025 issue of FRIDAY