Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani hit an absolute monster home run, during Tuesday’s 4-1 win on the road in the series opener against the Washington Nationals.
According to Sarah Langes of MLB.com, the home run was recorded at 118.7 mph. It was the hardest-hit ball not just of Ohtani’s career to date but of any Dodger’s player since 2015.
GIANCARL😮 STANTON.
447 FEET. 119.9 MPH. 🤯
(via @Yankees)pic.twitter.com/TCtzt89IyQ
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) May 8, 2024
However, the list of players hitting the hardest balls in MLB history is long. Here are the top 5 instances where exit velocities reached over 118 mph.
Giancarlo Stanton hit a rocket home run at Yankee Stadium, in Tuesday’s series opener against the Astros, and was the hardest-hit home run of the MLB season.
On Wednesday, Stanton hit one even harder, a 119.9 mph, 447-foot blast into the second deck down the left-field line in the third inning of the Yankees’ 9-4 win.
Stanton’s 119.9 mph homer is the fifth-hardest home run in the Majors since Statcast began tracking in 2015, Stanton has three of the top five, Judge has one, and Ronald Acuna Jr. has the other.
Giancarlo Stanton: 121.7 mph — Aug. 9, 2018 vs. TEX
Giancarlo Stanton: 121.3 mph — July 25, 2020 vs. WSH
Ronald Acuña Jr.: 121.2 mph — Sept. 2, 2023 vs. LAD
Aaron Judge: 121.1 mph — June 10, 2017 vs. BAL
Giancarlo Stanton: 119.9 mph — May 8, 2024 vs. HOU
Exit velocity, or EV, is considered as the speed of the baseball as it leaves the bat, right after a batter makes contact with the ball. It is calculated in miles per hour.
