ANAHEIM, Calif. — Japanese two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani will compete in the All-Star Home Run Derby at Denver’s Coors Field on July 12.
The Los Angeles Angels star will be the first Japanese-born player in the derby, held the night before the All-Star Game.
The 26-year-old outfielder, designated hitter and pitcher has 19 home runs, three behind major league leaders Fernando Tatis Jr. of San Diego and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of Toronto. Ohtani is hitting .270 with 47 RBIs, and he is 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 10 starts.
Ohtani won Japan’s home run derby in 2016, when he also was MVP of the second of Japan’s two All-Star Games.
He will become the seventh Angels player in the derby, after Wally Joyner (1996), Troy Glaus (2001), Garrett Anderson (2003), Vladimir Guerrero (2007), Mark Trumbo (2012) and Albert Pujols (2015).
Anderson and Guerrero won the competition, and Joyner was a co-winner.
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