The Los Angeles Dodgers have won their series opener against the Minnesota Twins, highlighted by a game-ending catch. This time, Dodgers All-Star Shohei Ohtani delivered a jaw-dropping home run against Twins reliever Jhoan Duran. In a moment of pure baseball brilliance, Ohtani turned on a 100-mph sinker from Minnesota’s flamethrowing closer. He sent it soaring to the opposite field, and the blast shook Dodger Stadium and beyond. And lo, Ohtani is no stranger to towering blasts. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi claims Shohei Ohtani’s home run is one of the most impressive home runs ever he’s witnessed.
Shohei Ohtani hit a 100-mph sinker from Jhoan Durán for an opposite-field HR.
Considering the pitch, location (outside corner), pitcher, and where the ball landed . . . that’s one of the most impressive home runs I’ve ever seen.@MLBNetwork pic.twitter.com/Ga9XBN3uLz
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 23, 2025
The pitch was a 100-mph sinker, darting in on the hands at the outer corner. Clearly, it was the kind of pitch hitters dream of turning on, but rarely do. The location was perfect. Yet what truly elevated the moment was Ohtani’s ability to go the other way, generating enough barrel strength to turn that offering into a moon shot. It wasn’t just power; it was precision.
Jhoan Duran is no slouch on the mound for the Twins. In fact, he consistently works in the upper 90s with both sinkers and sliders and has baffled some of baseball’s elite. Therefore, for Ohtani to take one of his best pitches and send it deep to the opposite field, on purpose, speaks volumes about his pure batting acumen. Furthermore, it underscores the fact Ohtani’s the first true two-way star in modern baseball.
What makes the homer even more meaningful is context. The Dodgers were in the midst of a mid-season skid. Ohtani’s bomb provided a pivotal spark, igniting a resurgence in their offense. It reminded everyone why he’s the centerpiece of L.A.’s lineup. Furthermore, it marked another chapter in his 2025 journey. He now ranks near the top of the NL in home runs and OPS and has secured his spot as an All-Star for the fifth consecutive year.
Technically speaking, that swing was textbook biomechanical brilliance. He got his hips through early. He maintained bat head speed and extended fully. All the while, he countered a pitch designed to tie him up on the outer edge. The result? A high-arching, opposite-field homer that stands tall not just in the stat column, but in the pantheon of memorable Shohei Ohtani moments.
And if Shohei Ohtani keeps delivering on this level, it’s not just greatness he’s chasing, it’s another World Series run with the Dodgers.
Yasmin D.G. Edañol brings a data-driven perspective to sports storytelling as an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints, with a focus on the NBA. Whether it’s breaking down a clutch play or a stat line, he believes every great moment has a deeper layer waiting to be uncovered.
