Shohei Ohtani entered another rare group by breaking Ichiro Suzuki’s single-season stolen base record for a Japanese-born player against the Colorado Rockies on Friday night.
With his 57th stolen base, Ohtani has cemented his place as one of baseball’s greatest base runners, adding to his status as a versatile player.
When he was tied with manager Dave Roberts, the road to hold this record became more attainable.
It came after Ohtani singled against Miami Marlins lefty Ryan Weathers in his first at-bat on Wednesday, September 18. On the first pitch to Mookie Betts, he stole second base and slipped in safely.
Ohtani’s 49th stolen base ties him with Roberts for the second-most stolen bases by a Japanese-born player in Major League history.
Ohtani is not pitching this season after having his second Tommy John surgery in the winter, which is why this accomplishment is so astounding. When he starts pitching again, he may not be able to run as freely.
Roberts told The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya, “It’s a significant physical toll. I’m not sure how he’d be able to accomplish this if he was throwing. I don’t believe he would.
Inside the Dodgers organization, Ohtani has a long way to go if he wants to set the franchise record for stolen bases in a single season. Maury Wills holds the record for most stolen bases in 1962, with 104. He stole 94 bases three years later, in 1965.
Hitting home runs and swiping bags is a separate category. Think about it: hitting home runs reduces opportunities to steal bases.
In 2007, Juan Pierre stole 64 bases for the Dodgers without hitting a single home run. Fourteen other Dodgers players have stolen 50 bases in a season, with Davey Lopes holding the record for the most homers among them at 10 in 1974.
“Hitting 50 home runs, that’s 50 less times you’ve got to do anything on the bases,” Pierre pointed out. “He’s just trotting, so he’s good.”
Pierre laughed. “You almost get jealous, like how could you be that fast and then hit the ball 500 feet?” remarked Pierre, who has 18 home runs in 14 seasons. “It’s not fair what he’s doing. “He is literally changing the game.”
