Shohei Ohtani’s 28th Home Run: “Only He Can Hit It”… The Incredible Technique Behind His “Inside-Pitch, Opposite-Field Home Run”—Different from Hiromitsu Ochiai’s

“Inside-pitch opposite-field home runs” are proof of his explosive hitting power!

“At this point, he’s the only one capable of hitting such a spectacular home run.”

What prompted baseball analyst Takeshi Yamazaki—who has won the home run title in both the Central and Pacific Leagues—to make this remark was the 28th home run hit by the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani (32).

“It was a home run he hit off Tomoyuki Sugano (36) in the fifth inning of the game against the Rockies on August 18 (Japan time) (see photo). The cutter that dug in toward the inside corner was by no means a pitch left up, but Ohtani crushed it in a flash.

The ball soared rapidly toward left-center field and landed in the stands about 130 meters away. His 29th home run, hit in the sixth inning that same day, was his longest of the season at about 138 meters, and the very next day, he hit his 30th home run for the sixth consecutive year,” said a local reporter.

Why is Ohtani’s 28th home run considered “staggering”? One might think that his 29th or 30th home runs—which traveled farther—would leave a stronger impression… Mr. Yamazaki explains.

“A cutter thrown inside by a right-handed pitcher to a left-handed batter—or by a left-handed pitcher to a right-handed batter—is an extremely tricky pitch. If you try to counter it by bringing the bat in from the outside, you’re already out of luck. The only strategy is to keep your weight back, draw the ball in, and bring the bat in from the inside.

However, the more you pull the ball in, the higher the chance of getting jammed. Ohtani offsets that risk with his astonishing swing speed. This is proof that he’s able to execute an inside-out swing at a very high level. There are plenty of hitters in the majors who can send a hanging pitch far, but they couldn’t hit a home run like that.”

Hitting an inside pitch the opposite way—for longtime baseball fans, many will likely recall Hiromitsu Ochiai (72), who, like Mr. Yamazaki, was the home run king in both the Central and Pacific Leagues.

“As a right-handed batter, Mr. Ochiai would spread his legs, keep only his front shoulder back, pull his right elbow back to handle an inside pitch, and launch the ball into the right-field stands. That is indeed a tremendous skill.

On the other hand, Ohtani doesn’t spread his legs; instead, he maintains a fixed position from the top of his swing without releasing the tension in his muscles or the power of his skeletal structure, using his extraordinary back muscles, core strength, arm strength, and the flexibility of his shoulder blades to drive the ball.In other words, he can fold his elbow and swing the bat from the inside while maintaining 100 percent of his power. That is precisely why he is able to drive home runs to the opposite field,” said Mr. Yamazaki.

Although his home run pace this year has been slower than usual due to his return to being a two-way player and the worsening condition of his knee, his batting average remains around .290—higher than last year’s. As a pitcher, he has recorded eight wins and a 1.79 ERA, raising expectations that he will win his fourth consecutive league MVP award.Currently, it looks like a two-horse race between the Cubs’ outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (24) and Ohtani…

“If he can deliver hits like his 28th home run, his form will improve even further. There’s also a high probability that his offense will explode toward the end of the season, leading to a flurry of home runs,” (ibid.)

The fusion of technique and power will lead Ohtani to even greater heights.

From the September 11 & 18, 2026, combined issue of *FRIDAY*