I didn’t think it was a sudden brake…Shohei Ohtani, his strikeout count is “on pace for his best pace”, which is also a ″sign of growth″!!!!

It’s not like he’s striking out in a meaningless and inadvertent way.

Shohei Ohtani (30) can’t stop striking out.

In May, Ohtani hit 15 home runs, tying his career high, and he now leads the league in home runs with 23 for the season. However, in June, the sound of his bat hitting home runs has decreased, and the sight of his bat hitting the air has become more noticeable.

But he has hit only one home run this month (as of June 11). In contrast, the number of strikeouts continues to increase, with 74 recorded at the end of 65 games. This puts him on pace for 184 strikeouts in a season, close to his previous record of 189 set in 2009. The increase in strikeouts is said to be related to the 35-inch long bat, which was introduced this season with the intention of improving his distance and his ability to hit the ball out of bounds.

But does the increase in strikeouts indicate a poor performance? Takeshi Yamazaki, a baseball commentator, says, “Ohtani’s strikeouts are proof that he is competing to mass-produce long balls and home runs from high-level pitchers in the Majors.

He is not striking out in a meaningless and ineffective manner, but rather, in a paper-thin duel with the other batter, he swings in a way that leads to the next at-bat without changing his form. The result was merely a strikeout. When I was in the game, manager Katsuya Nomura told me, “A strikeout and a liner on a strikeout are the same out. As long as you have a basis for it, you should swing back with all your might.
It may be rude to compare me to Otani, but when I won the home run crown with 43 in 2007, my strikeouts outnumbered my hits (laughs). I don’t think Otani needs to change anything from where he is now.

In fact, Otani said in an interview in 2006, “If I had thought, ‘I don’t want to strike out,’ I think my batting average and home runs would have dropped. In the first place, Otani may not even have the idea that “strikeouts are bad.

I have also used a 35-inch bat, and it is quite difficult to deal with a breaking ball thrown below the knees after being driven into a corner. Still, 70 to 80% of pitches delivered to long-distance hitters are out of the park, so it’s more efficient to take care of that side of the ball.
If a perfect pitch is thrown to the in-course, the opposing battery wins the game. If the pitch is even a little bit sweet, we will finish it off with a single shot. As long as I can make this switch, my hitting should improve even more. In fact, seeing the way he is now able to strike out without hesitation and with his ideal swing, I expect him to grow even more.

Thinking back, Shigeo Nagashima, who passed away on June 3, was also synonymous with striking out with such a full swing that his helmet came off. Even strikeouts are a source of food for a good hitter. That is the essence of a strong hitter.

From the June 27/July 4, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY