Shohei Ohtani ties Sammy Sosa for dubious MLB record

After getting his 45th home run in a 10-5 loss to the Houston Astros last night, Shohei Ohtani joins Sammy Sosa for an unfavorable record.

All season long, the Los Angeles Angels superstar hitter and pitcher, Shohei Ohtani, has amazed fans and baseball pundits alike with his awestriking home runs and dazzling pitching.

The Japan-born MVP candidate has wowed the world with his play and charisma but it hasn’t always translated to winning for his team and such was the case last night.

Last night against the Houston Astros, when Ohtani ripped home his 45th homer of the season in the bottom of the eight, the game’s conclusion was practically already decided. That one-run homer cut the Astros lead to five, and nothing else came after to preserve the Angels. Houston won the game 10-5.

The Angels haven’t fared well despite Shohei Ohtani’s exploits

While his 45th shot was a monumental feat for “Showtime” Ohtani, it etched him into the record books alongside another heavy slugger Sammy Sosa, for something less than stellar: Ohtani and Sosa are now the only players in MLB history to have 13 games where they’ve homered in but resulted in a loss by four or more runs. Sosa did it in 1999.

With 11 games left, the 72-79 Angels are likely to miss the playoffs despite the spectacle that is Ohtani. They have missed out on the last six postseasons.

At the season’s end, if Ohtani is crowned the AL MVP as many assume he will be, he’ll join his other superstar teammate, Mike Trout, as the latest MVP to not see the playoffs in the year they won it.