Unable to pitch this season, Shohei Ohtani found another way to become a two-way star. And the result is a kind of season never before seen in MLB.
With both a homer and a stolen base against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, Ohtani became the first player to ever post 43 homers and 43 stolen bases in a single season. Alex Rodriguez was previously the only player to reach 42-42 in a season.
Ohtani got there with a solo homer in the eighth inning:
That homer came when the Dodgers were already up four runs, but it wound up being mighty important after a ninth-inning Arizona rally left the final score at 10-9 Dodgers.
Like he did when he reached 40-40 in record time, and tied Rodriguez at 42-42, Ohtani achieved both numbers in the same game. It’s the 11th time he’s posted a homer and steal in the same game, two short of Rickey Henderson for the single-season MLB record, per The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya.
Ohtani posted the steal in the second inning, reaching second base without a play after D-Backs starter Zac Gallen’s pitch bounced away.
These were also Ohtani’s 11th homer and 15th stolen base in the month of August. MLB.com’s Sarah Langs notes the only other player in MLB history to post a 10-15 month is Carlos Beltrán in Aug. 2004.
Shohei Ohtani shouldn’t have this kind of speed
At the age of 30 and in his first season with the Dodgers, Ohtani has added yet another skill to what might have already been the most full toolbox in the history of baseball. 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 basepaths.
His rate of stolen bases has only increased since becoming the Dodgers’ leadoff hitter in June, a set-up which has worked well enough that the team kept him there after the return of Mookie Betts.
It defies belief that Ohtani is doing this in a year where he is still recovering from major elbow surgery, not to mention very public personal turmoil, but he’s been defying belief since his career in Japan. In this case, it seems likely it will result in a third MVP award, which would make him join Frank Robinson as the only player to win the honor in both leagues.
The bigger question will be if Ohtani can achieve a mythical-sounding 50-50 season. With a full month to go and a full head of steam, it certainly seems possible.