Baseball: Ohtani homers in Denver, hits 30 home runs for 6th straight year

Denver (Kyodo) -- Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani reached the 30-home run milestone for the sixth consecutive season during Tuesday's 7-6 victory against the Colorado Rockies. The four-time MVP added to the fireworks display by Japanese players in Major League Baseball, as Chicago White Sox player Munetaka Murakami and Toronto Blue Jays infielder Kazuma Okamoto also hit home runs over the outfield fence.

Ohtani broke a 1-1 tie in the third inning with a powerful two-run home run that traveled 448 feet (137 meters) into the right-center field bullpen at Coors Field. Earlier, he demonstrated improvement in his pitching return, throwing a 35-pitch bullpen that led to Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts predicting Ohtani would soon engage in a live batting practice.

Meanwhile, in Chicago, Munetaka Murakami achieved his 29th home run of the season for the White Sox in their Crosstown Series matchup against the Chicago Cubs. The 26-year-old rookie sent a 406-foot solo shot soaring behind left center field to tie the game 2-2 in the third inning.

In Tampa Bay, Kazuma Okamoto broke the Blue Jays' rookie home run record with his 25th of the season during the series opener against the Rays. After a 16-game homerless stretch, Okamoto hit a 442-foot solo shot in the fifth inning, snapping the streak and further establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with in the league.