The legend of Shohei Ohtani keeps on growing.
The Angels' Japanese superstar has been outstanding in 2023. He holds a comfortable lead atop MLB's home run standings, and he has a chance to threaten Aaron Judge's American League record for most in a season. Not to mention, he's a pretty darn good pitcher, too.
Ohtani's slugging has been crucial to the Angels' postseason hopes. They currently sit in third place in the AL West and outside a wild-card spot. But the front office decided in late July to keep their two-way star after reportedly flirting with the idea of trading him at the Aug. 1 deadline.
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The Sporting News is tracking Ohtani's home run total as he looks to make history in 2023:
How many home runs does Shohei Ohtani have?
Ohtani has 39 home runs after going deep vs. the Blue Jays on July 28. That makes him MLB's home run leader, six ahead of the Braves' Matt Olson.
Here's a look at this season's MLB home run race (totals are through games of July 28):
| Player | Team | HRs |
| Shohei Ohtani | Angels | 39 |
| Matt Olson | Braves | 33 |
| Pete Alonso | Mets | 30 |
| Luis Robert | White Sox | 29 |
| Mookie Betts | Dodgers | 27 |
| Kyle Schwarber | Phillies | 27 |
Shohei Ohtani home run pace
As of July 28, Ohtani is on pace to finish the regular season with 61 home runs.
The slugger belted 39 home runs in his first 102 games, an average of 0.38 home runs per game. If he keeps that up over the final 59 games of the Angels' season, he will be right on the brink of Judge's American League record.
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What is the MLB record for home runs in a season?
Barry Bonds holds the MLB record for home runs in a single season, with 73 for the Giants in 2001. Mark McGwire is second with 70 for the Cardinals in 1998, and Sammy Sosa is third with 66 for the Cubs in 1998. All three players have had their reputations tarnished by accusations of performance-enhancing drug use.
The American League record belongs to Aaron Judge, who went yard 62 times during the 2022 season for the Yankees. He broke Roger Maris' record of 61, which was set in 1961.
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Ohtani has a legitimate chance to overtake Judge this season. Judge had 42 homers by the end of July in his record season; Ohtani has 39 with three days remaining in the month.
Most home runs in a season
| Player | Team | Year | HRs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Barry Bonds | Giants | 2001 | 73 |
| 2. Mark McGwire | Cardinals | 1998 | 70 |
| 3. Sammy Sosa | Cubs | 1998 | 66 |
| 4. Mark McGwire | Cardinals | 1999 | 65 |
| 5. Sammy Sosa | Cubs | 2001 | 64 |
| 6. Sammy Sosa | Cubs | 1999 | 63 |
| 7. Aaron Judge | Yankees | 2022 | 62 |
| 8. Roger Maris | Yankees | 1961 | 61 |
| 9. Babe Ruth | Yankees | 1927 | 60 |
| 10. Babe Ruth | Yankees | 1921 | 59 |
| 10. Giancarlo Stanton | Marlins | 2017 | 59 |