FT Leadoff

It was another record-breaking day for Shohei Ohtani on Sunday.

Ohtani’s third-inning blast was the 176th of his career, advancing him past Hideki Matsui with the most homers by a Japanese-born player in Major League Baseball.

“Honestly, I was just relieved I was able to get it over with,” said Ohtani through his interpreter after the game.

Granted, it was against the White Sox, but the Phillies capped off an 8-2 homestand with their sixth-straight win on Sunday, thanks in large part to their pitching.

Philadelphia’s starters posted a 1.51 ERA over their 10-game homestand while carrying no-hitters into the seventh and eighth innings over the weekend.

At 14-8, they’ve matched their best start through 22 games since 2018. They’ll embark on a 10-game road trip beginning in Cincinnati tonight.

Speaking of Cincinnati, Elly De La Cruz had himself quite the weekend.

On Friday, De La Cruz became the ONLY player in MLB history to hit a 3+ run homer while stealing 3+ bases in a single game, per OptaStats.

De La Cruz’s hot weekend also included a four-walk performance on Saturday, and his lone hit on Sunday pushed his season average over the .300 mark.

The second-year standout is currently hitting .306 with a team-high 6 homers and 10 stolen bases.

Mike Trout joined Foul Territory on Friday from Great American Ballpark to discuss his hot start, former teammate Shohei Ohtani, stealing bases again, whether he will participate in the HR Derby, and more!

If you missed it, you can find Friday’s show on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

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