Watch: Shohei Ohtani goes yard against Padres to tie Hideki Matsui for most home runs by a Japanese player 

LA Dodgers star man and two-way ace, Shohei Ohtani, has had a scintillating start in Dodger Blue. He is averaging 0.333 so far this season with a 1.012 OPS and has batted in eight runs. Ohtani was set to take on LA's rivals, the San Diego Padres, in the second series between the two ballclubs on Friday night.

And Shohei Ohtani delivered. He didn't wait too long before taking Micahel King to the bleachers.

In the bottom of the first inning, a four-seam fastball by King was right in the swinging zone for Ohtani as he smashed the ball between the left and center field stands for a solo home run. With that homer, he tied the great Hideki Matsui for most home runs by a Japanese-born player in the MLB at 175 each.

Take a look at the historic home run here:

While Hideki Matsui spent 10 seasons in the major leagues, his major playing years came with the New York Yankees, with whom he won the 2009 World Series as well as the Finals MVP in a team that had the likes of Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera and Robinson Cano.

Ohtani has played fewer games in the big leagues than Matsui but has also dominated the league with his ace pitching abilities on the mound. The Japanese superstar has a lot of playtime left in his tank and will be tying and breaking plenty more records in the future.

Shohei Ohtani unfazed by slow start to 2024 MLB regular season

As quickly as he came out of the blocks during Spring Training for the LA Dodgers, Ohtani took some time to get going in the regular season. But in the last seven days, he has played in six games and raked in 11 hits – including five doubles, one triple and three home runs.

Shohei Ohtani has also driven in four runs in the last seven days, as the Dodgers two-way phenom is looking scarier with each passing gameday in the league. LA is geared up to face the Padres in a three-game series at home after already securing a 10-5 start to their 2024 campaign.

Ohtani is paying off the mighty contract that he signed over the offseason and the trust vested in him by the organization in gold. With "Sho Time" stipulated to start pitching next MLB season, one can only wonder how much more greatness the Japanese ace will attain in the big leagues with the Dodgers.