from Shohei Ohtani
On Tuesday, a judge in the United States District Court for the Central District of California denied Shohei Ohtani’s request to have a home run he hit earlier this season counted as an official Major League Baseball home run. The ruling was a major blow to Ohtani’s chances of winning the American League MVP award, which is awarded to the player deemed to have had the best overall performance during the season.
Ohtani, a two-way player for the Los Angeles Angels, hit a home run on April 17th against the Oakland Athletics. However, the ball was ruled foul by the umpires on the field, and the ruling was upheld after a review by MLB’s Replay Review System. Ohtani then filed a lawsuit against MLB, arguing that the ball was actually fair and should be counted as an official home run.
The judge presiding over the case, Judge Stephen V. Wilson, disagreed with Ohtani’s argument, ruling that MLB’s Replay Review System was not in error when it determined that the ball was foul. Judge Wilson noted that while Ohtani’s argument had some merit, it was not enough to overturn the ruling of the Replay Review System.
The ruling is a major setback for Ohtani, who was in contention for the AL MVP award. Had his home run been counted as an official home run, it would have given him an additional boost in the voting, potentially giving him enough votes to win the award.
Ohtani’s case has been closely watched by baseball fans around the world, and his lawsuit has sparked debate about how MLB should handle disputed home runs. While Judge Wilson’s ruling may not have gone in Ohtani’s favor, it does provide clarity on how MLB should handle similar disputes in the future.
