Triple Crown in Sight for Shohei Ohtani After Dazzling Display vs. Texas Rangers

Joel Reyes

updated at June 16, 2023 at 12:56 PM

Shohei Ohtani tied Pete Alonso for the Major League lead in homers on Thursday
He extended his home run lead over Aaron Judge in the American League to three
He barged into the top 5 in both the batting average and RBI departments in the AL

Shohei Ohtani is simply unstoppable right now.

The Japanese superstar demonstrated his otherworldly abilities on Thursday night, getting the win and hitting a homer in the series finale against the Texas Rangers.

Ohtani’s red-hot batting in June has made the Triple Crown an achievable feat for the Unicorn.

Shohei Ohtani, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels, MLB, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Francisco Lindor, Max Scherzer — Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels celebrates in his dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on June 15, 2023. Image: Sam Hodde
Source: Getty Images

Sports Brief looks at where Ohtani stands in homers, batting average, and RBIs in the American League this season.

Ohtani leads AL in homers

The Angels star's power surge in June has seen him move past Yankees slugger, Aaron Judge for the home run lead in the American League.

He hit four homers in the series against the Rangers to tie New York Mets slugger, Pete Alonso for the Major League lead.

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Ohtani helped his cause in Thursday’s game against Texas, hitting his 22nd homer of the season at the top of the eighth inning to give the Angels a pair of huge insurance runs, per ESPN.

The 28-year-old now holds a three-homer lead over Aaron Judge, who remains sidelined with a toe injury.

Judge has been stuck at 19 homers since suffering the injury at Dodger Stadium two weeks ago.

Ohtani now fourth in RBIs

Ohtani’s two-run blast in the series finale against the Rangers helped him climb to fourth in the American League RBI tally. He has driven in 54 runs this season.

The only players above him on this list are Boston Red Sox third baseman, Rafael Devers; Houston Astros designated hitter, Yordan Alvarez; and Texas Rangers right fielder, Adolis Garcia.

Devers leads the list with 56 RBIs, while Alvarez and Garcia are tied for second with 55 apiece.

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Alvarez is out for at least three weeks because of an oblique injury, so Ohtani has a great chance of grabbing the lead in this department.

Ohtani’s batting average is climbing

The two-way star has been on fire at the plate of late, enabling him to climb the batting average charts. He is 14 of 25 in his last seven games with six homers and 12 RBIs, per MLB.com.

With the late homer against Texas, Ohtani has a .301 batting average this season. He is now tied with Wander Franco for fifth place in this department.

The only players above Ohtani on this list are Toronto Blue Jays shortstop, Bo Bichette (.318); Tampa Bay Rays first baseman, Yandy Diaz (.311); Toronto Blue Jays second baseman, Whit Merrifield (.308); and Baltimore Orioles left fielder, Austin Hays (.306).