Shohei Ohtani consistently outperforms himself when it comes to magnificent home runs.

At 118.7 mph, the Dodgers slugger launched the ball 450 feet into the second tier of Nationals Park during the 9th inning on Tuesday, the hardest home run of his MLB career.

The previous fastest home run Ohtani hit while with the Angels was 118 mph in 2022. It is by far the hardest home run by a Dodger since Statcast started keeping track in 2015, outpacing Manny Machado’s 2018 blast of 115.6 mph.

Two days prior, Ohtani had surpassed Hideki Matsui to become the MLB player with the most home runs of any player of Japanese descent. This was his sixth home run of the year.

Outman delivers go-ahead knock as Dodgers’ depth steps up

Hernández tied the game at one in the sixth inning with an RBI single, sparking the Dodgers’ offensive. In that scenario, manager Dave Roberts stuck with Hernández against right-hander Derek Law rather than switching to a lefty. Hernández gave that choice the consequence of the knock.

It was Outman and Rojas’ turn to shine in the eighth. Strangely enough, Roberts ultimately chose Outman over Hernández when facing dominant right-hander Hunter Harvey. The Dodgers also benefited from that choice, as Los Angeles took the lead thanks to an RBI double from Outman. Andy Pages fouled out, and Rojas added an RBI single to extend the lead for the Dodgers.

Considering some of Outman’s early-season difficulties at the plate, it was a significant night for him specifically. Outman, who placed third in the National League Rookie of the Year voting, was an important member of the Dodgers lineup in 2023. However, Outman was losing ground at an alarming rate, so the beginning of this season has been an adventure for him.

Outman wasn’t in the starting lineup because the Dodgers decided to use a platoon in center field as a result of his difficulties at the plate. But Los Angeles is certain that Outman’s swing is beginning to pick up steam. Tuesday, Outman validated the club’s assessment.