MLB Stars Ohtani and Suzuki Wielding Powerful Bats
Shohei Ohtani (left) and Seiya Suzuki (©KYODO; GETTY IMAGES/via KYODO)
Heading into the weekend of May 30-June 1, Japanese sluggers Shohei Ohtani and Seiya Suzuki lead MLB in two of baseball's most significant batting statistics ― home runs and RBIs, respectively.
Ohtani, a three-time MVP (twice with the Los Angeles Angels in the American League and the reigning winner in the National League), is No 1 in Major League Baseball with 20 home runs. The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar bashed his latest homer on May 27 against the Cleveland Guardians, a two-out, two-run blast in the fourth inning. LA won 9-5. Reigning National League MVP Shohei Ohtani (Brad Penner/IMAGN IMAGES/via REUTERS)
In May, Ohtani has hit 13 homers, reminding everyone that his power display in 2024 (54 round-trippers) was no fluke. And twice this month, he's homered in three consecutive games.
His 20th homer was also noteworthy from a historical context because he became only the third Dodger to slug at least 20 round-trippers in the team's first 55 games. The others: Cody Bellinger (20 in 2019) and Gil Hodges (21 in 1951).
Chicago Cubs star Suzuki, who is batting .273, leads MLB with 51 RBIs. He also has 14 homers. Suzuki was 11-for-27 in his last seven games, including four homers and eight RBIs.
In May, he's hit seven homers and amassed 26 RBIs.
Suzuki was named NL Player of the Week on May 26. And what a week it was for Suzuki, who batted .480 with three homers and four doubles in six games from May 19-25. He also drove in 10 runs in that span.
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer is impressed with Suzuki's continued growth as a hitter.
"His ability to hit and to continue to develop hitting premium velocity has been really important," Hoyer said, according to MLB.com. "I just see a guy that's more aggressive both in demeanor and also in counts. He was a little bit more passive at the plate before. He's got guys on base and he's looking to do damage, and he has." Chicago Cubs slugger Seiya Suzuki bats against the Colorado Rockies on May 27 at Wrigley Field. (GETTY IMAGES/via KYODO)
Now in his fourth season with the Cubs, Suzuki is striving to be a productive player.
For the most part, he's pleased with his play of late on offense.
"I don't know if I can say it's the best [stretch of my career]," Suzuki said through an interpreter, MLB.com reported. "But I feel like I've been doing really well. Obviously, I'm going to have moments where the performance isn't as good, and I'll talk to the coaches and see what adjustments I need to make. But I'm happy with how it's gone so far." The Utsunomiya Brex, the 2024-25 B.League champions, celebrate their title-clinching win on May 27 at Yokohama Arena. (KYODO)
After winning the B.League title on Tuesday, May 27, the Utsunomiya Brex celebrated their glorious achievement.
But their offseason has not yet begun.
The Brex will participate in the Basketball Champions League Asia, which will be held June 7-13 in Dubai.
It will consist of eight nations' domestic champions plus the winner of the FIBA West Asia Super League. East Asian representatives include the Meralco Bolts (Philippines), the Changwon LG Sakers (South Korea) and the Zhejiang Lions (China).
First-round action will feature three groups, with round-robin competition in each group. B.League Finals: Utsunomiya Rallies Past Ryukyu to Capture the Title
Following the Ryukyu Golden Kings' 73-71 loss to the Brex in Game 3 of the B.League Finals, veteran forward Vic Law shared his thoughts on the team's disappointing finish.
Law's shot on the last play of the game was blocked, ending the possibility of overtime.
"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened," Law wrote on Twitter. "Heartbroken we couldn't win the championship but extremely proud of our team. No one believed we could make it there and we proved everyone wrong. Thank you to everyone who supported us along the way."
The Golden Kings reached the championship round for the fourth consecutive season, an unprecedented streak since the B.League was launched in 2016. Hiroki Yanagita (center) wins the men's 100-meter final at the Asian Athletics Championships on May 28 in Gumi, South Korea. (KYODO)
Four Japan national team representatives have secured gold medals at the ongoing Asian Athletics Championships (May 27-31) in Gumi, South Korea.
As of Friday, May 30, Japan's event winners are Hiroki Yanagita in the men's 100 meters (10.20 seconds, a season-best time), Kazuto Iizawa in the men's 1,500 (3:42.56, a personal-best time), Paris Olympian Rachid Muratake in the men's 110-meter hurdles (13.22 seconds), and Nanako Matsumoto in the women's 400 (52.17 seconds, a personal-best mark).
Yanagita, a 21-year-old athlete, had mixed feelings about his performance in the men's 100.
"I did manage to win consecutive victories [at the Asian Athletics Championships], but I wasn't satisfied with the results," Yanagita was quoted as saying by the Tokyo Broadcasting System website.
He added, "I was hoping that I could win consecutive victories by breaking the participation standard for the Tokyo World Athletics Championships (10.00 seconds). But I'm disappointed that I couldn't break the standard I had in mind the most."
For Matsumoto, her triumph in South Korea was satisfying.
"Winning a competition that I entered with the goal of winning gives me a lot of confidence," the 28-year-old said, according to TBS. ASICS' New Marathon Shoe Weighs Only 129 Grams
Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward' s dedicated website, SportsLook . Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven .
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