Shohei Ohtani: 43 home runs this time last year vs. 27 this year. The reason why you still can't call it a 'slump'

Around August 14, 2026.

Shohei Ohtani's home run total for this season is 27.

On the other hand, exactly one year ago, around August 14, 2025, Ohtani had already hit 43 home runs.

Looking at the numbers alone,

43 → 27.

That is a difference of 16.

"Home runs are down quite a bit this year."

It is natural to feel that way.

However, if you look at Shohei Ohtani in 2026 only by his home run count, you will miss something very important.

This year's characteristic lies elsewhere.

It is that Shohei Ohtani the pitcher is back in full force.

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By mid-August last year, Ohtani had already hit 43

First, let's look back at 2025.

Last year, Ohtani was racking up home runs at an incredible pace.

He already had 38 by the end of July.

After that,

* No. 39 around August 6
* Nos. 40-43 around August 9-12
* Recorded home runs in 4 consecutive games
* Reached No. 43 around August 13

That was the flow.

In other words, around August 14, 2025,

43 home runs.

By the end of the season, he had extended that to a career-high 55 home runs.

Last year, it was completely,

"How many home runs will he rack up?"

That was one of the major themes in watching Ohtani.

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27 home runs in 111 games in 2026

So, how about this year?

His batting stats as of August 13-14, 2026, are roughly as follows.

Item Stats
Games 111
At-bats 428
Hits 125
Batting Average .292
On-base Percentage .393
Slugging Percentage .544
OPS .937
Home Runs 27
RBIs 74
Runs 77
Doubles 23
Triples 2
Walks 69
Strikeouts 117
Stolen Bases 7

Most recently, on August 12 (August 13 Japan time) against the Royals, he hit his 27th two-run homer of the season, his first in 6 games.

Considering he had 43 at the same time last year, it is clear that his home run pace has dropped.

He is currently on a pace for about 36 per year.

Compared to 2025, when he hit 55, it is quite different.

However.

His OPS is .937.

His batting average is .292.

His on-base percentage is .393.

In other words,

"Fewer home runs = significantly collapsed as a hitter"

cannot be said simply.

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If you look at Ohtani this year as 'just a hitter,' you will misjudge the reality

And this is the biggest difference in 2026.

This year, Ohtani is also working in full force as a pitcher.

His pitching stats as of August 13-14, 2026, are:

Item Stats
Appearances 14
Starts 14
Record 8 wins, 2 losses
ERA 1.79
Innings Pitched 85.2
Strikeouts 95
WHIP 0.95

That is it.

Looking at this alone, it is quite bizarre.

As a hitter,

.292 average, 27 home runs, .937 OPS.

In addition to that, as a pitcher,

8 wins, 2 losses, 1.79 ERA, 0.95 WHIP.

In other words, Shohei Ohtani in 2026 is,

rather than "a hitter with fewer home runs than last year,"

it is closer to reality to see him as a player who is pitching at an ace level while simultaneously playing as a power hitter.

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In 2025 and 2026, 'Shohei Ohtani's workload' is different to begin with

I think this is the most interesting part of looking at this year.

In 2025, he had 55 home runs.

In 2026, he has 27 in mid-August.

If it is just one number like home runs, last year is overwhelming.

However, in 2026, he is:

Hitting.

Running.

And pitching.
He is doing all of that.
So simply,

"He had 43 last year but only 27 this year"

if you compare it that way, you only see a part of the value Ohtani is providing to the team this year.

Rather, this year's theme is,

from how many home runs he can hit as a hitter,

to how high a level he can maintain as a two-way player,

you can see it as having changed.

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Lining up the numbers makes the difference between 2025 and 2026 clear

Roughly comparing them, it looks like this.

Mid-August 2025 Mid-August 2026

Home Runs 43 27

Season Home Run Pace Over 50 Approx. 36

Final Season Home Runs 55 ―
Presence as a Pitcher ― 14 starts, 8 wins, 2 losses
ERA ― 1.79
WHIP ― 0.95
2025 was a season where
"Ohtani, the greatest hitter in history"
was at the forefront.

2026, so far, can be said to be a season where

"Ohtani, who simultaneously fulfills the roles of hitter and pitcher"

is at the forefront.

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27 looks small. But if you think about it normally, it's still crazy enough

When you keep watching a player named Shohei Ohtani, your senses get a little numb.

After seeing 55, 27 feels small.

A .292 batting average also feels normal.

An OPS of .937 also makes you think, "Well, it's Ohtani."

But if you look at it calmly,

he is hitting 27 while maintaining a batting average near .300,

and behind that, he is pitching over 85 innings,

and has 8 wins with an ERA in the 1s.

Normally, either one of these alone would make you a top-tier player.

The same person is doing both.

This abnormality cannot be captured by home run count alone.

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This year, 'how far he can balance both' is more interesting than 'how many he hits'

Of course, I am also curious about the home run title race and how far he will extend it to 30, 35, or 40.

However, for 2026, even more than that,

how long he will maintain these stats as a pitcher.

And,

how many stats he will rack up as a hitter while carrying the load as a pitcher.

This seems to be a major highlight.

If you look at it by the same standard as last year,

43 → 27.

It has certainly decreased.

But Shohei Ohtani this year is playing a different game than last year.

If you look at it that way, the 2026 season becomes quite interesting.

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Summary

Around August 14, 2025, Shohei Ohtani had 43 home runs.

Around August 14, 2026, he has 27 home runs.

If it's just home runs, there is a difference of 16.

However, in 2026,

.292 batting average, .937 OPS, 27 home runs

while recording,

as a pitcher,

8 wins, 2 losses, 1.79 ERA, 0.95 WHIP.

Last year, "how far he hits" was the main character.

This year,

"how far he can make the two-way play work"

might be the bigger story.

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What I felt while writing

Personally, since it is the year after seeing 55, the scariest part was that the moment I saw the number "27," it felt small.

My senses are completely messed up (laughs).

Even just hitting 30-40 a year is amazing enough, but that player is starting games with an ERA in the 1s.

When watching Shohei Ohtani, sometimes the "standard for comparing records itself" gets broken.

2025 and 2026.

Even though it is the same Shohei Ohtani, I am watching a completely different kind of greatness.

This year, rather than just chasing the home run count, it might be a year where you can realize the abnormality of the two-way play by looking at his days as a hitter and his days as a pitcher together as one season.

※ Stats are based on the data provided as of August 13-14, 2026. Numbers will fluctuate as games progress.

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⚾ For those who want to enjoy Shohei Ohtani more

For those who want to enjoy the greatness of Shohei Ohtani not just through numbers, but also including baseball history and behind-the-scenes, Prime Video's baseball documentaries are also recommended.

『SAMURAI JAPAN: The Truth Behind the WBC Perfect Victory』

A documentary that closely follows Samurai Japan, which shone as the world's best in the 2023 WBC.

Shohei Ohtani, Yu Darvish, Manager Hideki Kuriyama, and others appear, following the behind-the-scenes of the perfect victory.

If you know the famous scene of Shohei Ohtani vs. Mike Trout that happened in the WBC final, it is a work you can enjoy even more.

『Glory to the Battle: 2024 World Series』

A work that follows the 2024 World Series where the Dodgers and Yankees clashed.

Shohei Ohtani also appears.

The appeal is that you can enjoy the behind-the-scenes of the World Series from the perspectives of players, managers, families, etc., which you cannot understand just by looking at the game results.

『Reggie: The Legendary Major Leaguer』

A documentary depicting Reggie Jackson, an MLB legend who experienced 5 World Series championships.

It is not a work that deals directly with Shohei Ohtani, but

"What kind of existence is a major leaguer who remains in history?"

If you look at it from that perspective, it becomes an opportunity to think about how special a realm Shohei Ohtani is currently walking in.

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You can check the distribution status of the works introduced this time on Prime Video.

Prime Video works may have their distribution end, rental, purchase, or Prime member benefits changed depending on the time and region.

Please check the current distribution status and whether there are additional charges before watching.

Chasing Shohei Ohtani's numbers is also interesting.

But if you know the background, the WBC, the World Series, and even the history of Major League Baseball, I think the abnormality of the "two-way play" we are seeing right now will look even more different.

Free ⬇️