Shohei Ohtani performs "insane" celebration in front of New York Yankees bench

18 July 2023 , 21:30

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Shohei Ohtani hit the home run that sparked a Los Angeles Angels revival to defeat the New York Yankees (Image: Kyodo)

Shohei Ohtani scored a monster home run and celebrated with an audacious bat flip in front of the New York Yankees bench to secure a crucial MLB regular season win.

Ohtani struck a sensational two-run homer in the seventh inning to help the Los Angeles Angels secure a crucial 4-3 win over the Yankees on Monday night. Both teams currently sit outside the playoffs, which is why the win was so crucial in the race to snatch a wild card.

After Ohtani crushed Yankees pitcher Michael King for the two-run home run, the Angels completed the comeback from 3-1 down to win via a ninth-inning walk-off. The Japanese star smashed the 97mph fastball down the seam and out of the park - and he knew it was gone as soon as he connected with the pitch.

Ohtani smashed it deep to centre field and watched it fly over the wall to rapturous applause from the Anaheim fanbase. Before the ball had even cleared the barriers, the 29-year-old celebrated by flipping his bat right in front of the Yankees bench amid trade rumours linking him with the iconic franchise.

Fans watching on YES Network - the broadcaster of Yankees games - enjoyed Ohtani’s notable celebration. One fan commented: “That bat flip was insane.”

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Ohtani leads MLB in home runs for the 2023 season with 35, while he has also put up 75 RBI. The two-way superstar has become a revered phenom due to his unprecedented All-Star calibre play on both the mound and the plate, and he is likely to sign the largest contract season in league history once his contract runs out come the end of the campaign.

The Japanese ace has a chance of breaking Aaron Judge's home run record of 62, which he set in 2022. If Yankees fans have their way, Ohtani could start setting records donning their famous pinstripes.

Ohtani has declared he wants to play for a winner, and the Angels appear set to miss the playoffs for an eighth year in a row. While he could yet agree a deal with the Angels, he is set to enter free agency - but the Yankees could sanction a blcokbuster trade in order to secure exclusive negotiations with him.

The Yankees are desperately looking to win a World Series given it has been 14 years since their last triumph in 2009, and adding perhaps the best player in history would go a long way toward getting back to the summit of the sport. They have prospects they can offer in any potential trade, including Jasson Dominguez, Austin Wells, Everson Pereira, Spencer Jones, Trey Sweeney and standout rookie Anthony Volpe

Andrew Gamble