Shohei Ohtani’s 28th Homer Was A Shot Only He Could Hit: The Incredible Technique Behind His Inside-Pitch Opposite-Field Blast

“Inside-out to the opposite field”: Proof that his bat is exploding!

“At this point in time, he is the only player capable of hitting home runs that are quite that ferocious.”

So says baseball analyst Takeshi Yamazaki, who has won home run titles in both the Central and Pacific Leagues, referring to Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani’s (32) 28th home run.

“It was a home run he hit off Tomoyuki Sugano (36) in the fifth inning of the Rockies game on August 18 (Japan time) (pictured). The cutter that came in toward the inside corner was by no means an easy pitch, but Ohtani unleashed on it.

The white ball kept carrying toward left-center field and landed in the stands approximately 130 meters away. His 29th home run, hit in the sixth inning of the same game, traveled approximately 138 meters, making it his longest home run of the season, and the following day he hit his 30th, giving him 30 home runs for the sixth consecutive season.” (Local reporter)

Why is Ohtani’s 28th home run ferocious? One might think the 29th or 30th, which traveled farther, would leave a stronger impression. Yamazaki explains:

“A cutter thrown on the inside to a left-handed batter by a right-handed pitcher, or to a right-handed batter by a left-handed pitcher, is an extremely troublesome pitch. If you try to deal with it by bringing the bat from the outside, you have no chance. You have no choice but to keep your weight back, let the ball come to you, and bring the bat from the inside.

However, the more you wait on the ball, the greater the chance you have of getting jammed. Ohtani covers that risk with his astonishing bat speed. It is proof that he is able to execute an inside-out swing at an exceptionally high level. There are plenty of hitters in the majors who can send a mistake pitch a long way, but they cannot hit a home run like that.”

Going inside and hitting the ball to the opposite field—longtime baseball fans may recall another player who, like Yamazaki, won home run titles in both the Central and Pacific Leagues: Hiromitsu Ochiai (72).

“Ochiai, a right-handed batter, would open up his stance while keeping his front shoulder in place, pull his right elbow back, and deal with inside pitches before sending them into the right-field stands. That is certainly an extraordinary skill.

Ohtani, on the other hand, does not open up his stance. From the top of his swing, he keeps the tension in his muscles and the power generated by his skeletal structure locked in place, then uses his extraordinary back strength, core strength, arm strength, and flexible shoulder blades to drive the ball. In other words, while maintaining 100% of his power, he can tuck his elbow and send the bat through from the inside. That is precisely why he can drive home runs into the opposite field.” (Yamazaki)

Due to his return to two-way play and the worsening condition of his knee, Ohtani’s home-run pace this year has been slower than in previous seasons. However, his batting average has hovered around .290, above last year’s mark. As a pitcher, he has also posted eight wins and a 1.79 ERA, raising expectations that he could win the league MVP award for the fourth consecutive year. At present, the race appears to be shaping up as a two-man battle between Ohtani and Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (24), but…

“If he can continue producing at the plate like he did with his 28th home run, his condition will improve even further. There is also a strong possibility that his bat will explode late in the season and that he will start piling up home runs.” (Ibid.)

The fusion of technique and power is guiding Ohtani to even greater heights.

From the September 11–18, 2026 combined issue of “FRIDAY.”