Shohei Ohtani surpassed Hideki Matsui to take sole possession of the record for most MLB home runs by a Japan-born player with a two-run homer to right field during the third inning of the Los Angeles Dodgers' win over the New York Mets on Sunday.
Ohtani, hailed as a "modern-day Babe Ruth" because of his dominance as both a power hitter and pitcher, stood and watched as his 176th MLB home run went deep into the stands and smiled as he crossed home plate to break the tie with Matsui and open the scoring against the visiting Mets at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
"Honestly, I was just relieved I was able to just get it over with, I was just happy I was able to do that," Ohtani said after the Dodgers' 10-0 rout of the Mets, which ended a three-game skid.