Shohei Ohtani crushed his MLB-leading 36th homer in the first inning to spark the Los Angeles Angels' offense in a 7-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.
The two-way superstar had gone four games without a home run before sending Mitch Keller's 3-2 cutter 410 feet over center field with a powerful, low-trajectory line drive to tie the game 1-1.
"I don't know if I've seen a ball hit like that — a golf ball maybe," Angels manager Phil Nevin told MLB.com. "Every day, he does something different to impress you."
Ohtani finished 1-for-3 at the plate while drawing a walk and scoring two runs.
Luis Rengifo homered twice and Andrew Velazquez launched his first bomb of the season for the Halos, who improved to 51-49 after going 6-3 in their home stand at Angel Stadium.
The Angels are four games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the race for the third and final American League Wild Card spot.
They play the Blue Jays in a crucial three-game series from Friday at Rogers Centre, where Ohtani is scheduled to pitch the opener.
While Ohtani has been the subject of trade rumors, the AL MVP favorite looks likely to remain in Anaheim if the Angels maintain their playoff push until the Aug. 1 trade deadline.