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The Yomiuri Shimbun Left:Shohei Ohtani hugs his teammate Kike Hernandez after hitting his 50th home run of the season in the seventh inning in Miami on Thursday. Right:Shohei Ohtani steals his 50th base after stealing third in the first inning in Miami on Thursday.
By Toshiaki Obitsu / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent
17:47 JST, September 20, 2024
MIAMI — Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani has made Major League Baseball history again. This time, after smashing three home runs and stealing two bases in Thursday’s game against the Miami Marlins, he became the first player to have at least 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season.
“I’m happy and relieved, but at the same time, I respect the players who came before me and established the records,” Ohtani said after finishing the game with 51 home runs and 51 steals.
Ohtani accomplished the feat by nearly doubling his previous career high for stolen bases of 26 in the 2021 season.
However, Ohtani reached a turning point when the Dodgers seemed like they were in trouble.
Mookie Betts, the leadoff batter and MVP in 2018, broke his left hand after being hit by a pitch on June 16. Ohtani was No. 2 in the lineup at the time but became the leadoff hitter the next day. After the switch, he stole 36 bases over about three months.
Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough said Ohtani saw it as an opportunity to make something happen on the bases, especially since several players were out. Before games, they analyzed the pitchers’ moves on video. He has been successful on 28 consecutive stolen base attempts since July 23 to reach 51.
With Ohtani’s record-breaking performance as leadoff hitter, the Dodgers have clinched their 12th consecutive playoff appearance.
This will be Ohtani’s first postseason appearance in the big leagues.
“It’s what I’ve been dreaming of since coming to the United States,” Ohtani said. “I’ll start my preparations all over again as we work toward [the playoffs].”
He seems to have set his sights on his long-cherished dream of winning the World Series.
