Unable to pitch this season, Shohei Ohtani found another way to become a two-way star. And the result is a season unlike anything MLB has ever seen.
With a home run and a stolen base against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, Ohtani became the first player to record 43 home runs and 43 stolen bases in a single season. Alex Rodriguez was previously the only player to reach 42-42 in a season.
Ohtani came through with a solo homer in the eighth inning:
That home run came with the Dodgers already up by four runs, but it ended up being very important after an Arizona comeback in the ninth inning left the final score at 10-9 in favor of the Dodgers.
Just like when he reached 40-40 in record time and tied Rodriguez at 42-42, Ohtani did both in the same game. It was the 11th time this year he has had a homer and a steal in the same game, two shy of Rickey Henderson’s single-season MLB record. By Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.
Ohtani recorded the steal in the second inning, reaching second base without a play after D-backs starter Zac Gallen’s pitch bounced off the bat.
These were Ohtani’s 11th home run and 15th stolen base in the month of August. Sarah Langs of MLB.com He notes that the only other player in MLB history to record a 10-15 month was Carlos Beltran in August 2004.
Shohei Ohtani shouldn’t have this kind of speed
At 30 years old and in his first season with the Dodgers, Ohtani has added another skill to what already might have been the most complete toolbox in baseball history. He was always surprisingly fast for his size, with sprint speeds bordering on elite when he was with the Los Angeles Angels, but Ohtani has made a concerted effort this year to be a threat on the bases.
His stolen base rate has only increased since he became the Dodgers’ leadoff hitter in June, a setup that has worked well enough that the team kept him there even after Mookie Betts returned.
It’s hard to believe Ohtani is doing this in a year when he’s still recovering from major elbow surgery, not to mention a very public personal mess, but he’s been defying belief since his career in Japan. In this case, it seems likely that his season will result in a third MVP award, which would join him and Frank Robinson as the only players to win the honor in both leagues.
The biggest question will be whether Ohtani can pull off a mythic-sounding 50-50 season. With a full month left and energy at full blast, it certainly seems possible.
