"This incomprehensible man who is still judged to be struggling."
LA Dodgers' Ohtani Shohei hit two home runs in the June 6 game (all times Korea time) at Wrigley Field in the United States against the 2026 Chicago Cubs, going 3-for-5 (2 HR) with 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. After the game Ohtani's batting average was .297 and his OPS was .953.
Ohtani is once again being considered a leading candidate for league MVP this season. Over the past two years his overwhelming bat, with more than 50 home runs, was the decisive factor for winning MVP, but this season the pattern is a little different. There were whispers of a "slump," but he has since regained his place.
Ohtani began this season as a two-way player for the first time in three years. In the first half he boasted peak condition as a pitcher. At the point of 10 starts he posted an astonishing 0.74 earned run average. Conversely, as a hitter he endured his worst stretch of 25 consecutive hitless plate appearances in May, and by mid-May his OPS had fallen into the .700s.
But Ohtani is Ohtani. He quickly raised his form, putting up a torrid June with a .333 batting average, 8 home runs, a .435 on-base percentage and a 1.091 OPS. He was silent again in the first few games of the second half, but after the June 6 game he had played 104 games with a .297 batting average, 26 home runs, 70 RBIs, a .399 on-base percentage and a .953 OPS.
His batting average ranks around sixth in the league, his on-base percentage is among the league leaders at .400, and his OPS of .953 ranks first in the National League. Japanese media Full-Count reported that fans once again marveled at Ohtani when he reclaimed the OPS top spot for the third consecutive year despite being judged to have been struggling and in a slump.
The outlet said praise continued with comments such as "This incomprehensible man who is still judged to be struggling," "A struggling player (OPS league leader)", "A monster that causes outrage when people say he is struggling this season," "It's strange to think Ohtani was called struggling with these numbers," and "He comes up in the end."
There were also reactions such as "If he doesn't exceed an OPS of 1.000, the mood is that Ohtani is struggling." An OPS above 1.000 is a realm only the league's elite hitters can reach. Ohtani posted a 1.066 OPS in 2023, 1.036 in 2024 and 1.014 last year, surpassing 1.000 for three consecutive years.
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