Can Shohei Ohtani become baseball’s first 50-50 player?
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani made history on Friday night.
He belted a walk-off grand slam against the Rays, becoming the sixth player in MLB history to hit at least 40 homers and steal at least 40 bases in a season. Ohtani had also stolen his 40th base of the season in the same game, becoming the first Japanese player to ever have a 40-40 season. The closest anyone had come in Nippon Professional Baseball was Koji Akiyama, who hit 43 homers and stole 38 bases in 1987.
Ohtani may not be done. He joined the 40-40 club nearly a full month earlier than the next quickest member. Alfonso Soriano became the fourth member of the club on September 16, 2006, in the Nationals’ 147th game of the season. Ohtani needed just 126 games to reach those marks.
Thus far, Ohtani has appeared in 97.6% of the Dodgers’ games entering Saturday, putting him on pace to play in 158 games over the 2024 season. If he continues at his current pace, Ohtani is on track to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases. Alex Rodriguez came the closest, hitting 46 homers and stealing 42 bases in 1998. Ohtani may get some help if needed during the final few days – the Dodgers close out the season at Coors Field.
The 40-40 club was not the only milestone for Ohtani over the weekend. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reported that Ohtani threw off a mound on Saturday, the first time he had done so since undergoing elbow surgery. However, even that news pales in comparison to what Ohtani has done in the batter’s box this season.
