Shohei Ohtani continues to rewrite the history books, even when he’s not pitching.
The two-way superstar is strictly a designated hitter this season as he recovers from elbow surgery, but he’s certainly made the most of it.
On Friday night, Ohtani became just the sixth player in MLB history to join the 40/40 club.
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Shohei Ohtani, #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers, celebrates after hitting a walk-off grand slam home run, his 40th home run of the season, against the Tampa Bay Rays at Dodger Stadium on August 23, 2024, in Los Angeles, California. (Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
Ohtani entered the Los Angeles Dodgers’ game against the Tampa Bay Rays with 39 homers and 39 steals, so it was a matter of when, not if, he’d join the exclusive club. Well, apparently he didn’t want to wait much longer.
After singling in the fourth, Ohtani swiped his 40th bag of the year, but he wasn’t done.
With the bases loaded in the ninth inning tied at 3, Ohtani blasted a walk-off grand slam to officially join the club and give the Dodgers a 7-3 win.
Ohtani joined Ronald Acuna Jr., Alfonso Soriano, Alex Rodriguez, Jose Canseco and Barry Bonds as the only players to hit 40 homers and steal 40 bags in the same season.
Ohtani’s 40 stolen bases are already, by far, a career-high, surpassing his 2021 MVP season. The most homers he’s hit in a season is 46, which came in that same campaign.
Ohtani is en route to winning his third MVP, all of which would have come in the last four MLB seasons. He came in second to Aaron Judge, who hit 62 home runs, in 2022. He won last year after leading the AL in OPS while also pitching to a 3.14 ERA.
Los Angeles, California August 23, 2024. The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani steals his 40th base of the season against the Devil Rays in the fourth inning at Dodger Stadium Friday. (Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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Amazingly, though, no one has ever done it more quickly than Ohtani, who needed to play in just 126 games to accomplish the feat. Friday marked the Dodgers’ 129th, and the previous fastest was 148 by Soriano in 2006.
With that said, there’s plenty of time to add a page to the record books. No one has ever gone 50/50, which he is on pace for.
But don’t forget that when he’s on the mound, he’s also an ace.
Los Angeles, California, August 23, 2024. Dodgers Shohei Ohtani hits a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the game against the Devil Rays at Dodger Stadium on Friday. (Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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