Shohei Ohtani breaks Babe Ruth’s record for most strikeouts by a player with at least 100 home runs

The grandeur of Shohei Ohtani reached a historic level Tuesday after he notched his 502nd strikeout.

When Ohtani struck out Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña in the top of the second inning, the Los Angeles Angles two-way star broke an 88-year record. Ohtani passed the legendary Babe Ruth for the most strikeouts by a player with at least 100 career home runs.

The key difference between Ruth and Ohtani, though, is that 100-plus home run mark. Ohtani is playing at an MVP level in 2023 with a .294/.362/.515 slash line, but he’s got a long way to go career-wise to catch the Great Bambino as a batter. He has 134 career home runs, while Ruth has 714 career home runs. Ohtani has played just six seasons so far in his career and Ruth played for 22 years from 1914-1935.

Ohtani, 28, struck out seven total batters in the 3-1 loss to the Astros to push his career total to 507, but he gave up three earned runs and six hits. As a batter, he went 0-3 against Houston.

Ohtani’s future in Los Angeles remains one of the biggest questions of the 2023 season. He is headed toward free agency this offseason but could be a major trade target at the deadline if the Angels aren’t confident in their postseason potential. Los Angeles currently sits second in the AL West with a 20-17 record, 2 games back of the Texas rangers and 3.5 games ahead of the Astros and Seattle Mariners. The Angels haven’t made the postseason since 2014.

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