Ohtani passes Roberts for most HRs by Japanese player in Dodgers history
Move over, Dave Roberts.
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani belted his eighth home run of the season during Saturday's win against the Atlanta Braves, surpassing Roberts' previous franchise record of seven long balls by a Japanese-born player.
Shohei Ohtani passes Dave Roberts for the most homers by a Dodgers Japanese-born player with eight! pic.twitter.com/YHPf7jjufv
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 5, 2024
Ohtani broke Roberts' mark in just 135 at-bats in his first season with the team. Roberts needed 1,043 at-bats to hit his seven homers. He played for the Dodgers from 2002-04.
Ohtani jokingly gifted Roberts a toy Porsche on Friday in anticipation of breaking his mark.
"He did buy me a car," Roberts told MLB.com's Juan Toribio. "And I guess I didn't specify what type of car. So Shohei did bring in a nice little Porsche for me, so I can't say he never gave me anything. It's on my desk as we speak."
Ohtani said he'd consider buying Roberts a real car if the Dodgers win the World Series, per The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya.