Shohei Ohtani has had a fantastic first season with the Dodgers, to put it mildly. He has set numerous franchise records and is the MVP favorite despite being a full-time designated hitter.
Ohtani’s amazing season and career reached a new high Friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays, when he joined the coveted 40-40 club.
Ohtani recorded his 40th stolen base and 40th home run on the same night.
He smashed his 40th home run in the biggest of circumstances, blasting a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Rays, giving the Dodgers a 7-3 victory.
Ohtani became the first Dodger, and only the sixth, to smash 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a season. Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Alfonso Soriano, and Ronald Acuña Jr. have all accomplished this accomplishment.
Canseco and Acuña Jr. both received MVP awards during their 40-40 seasons.
Ohtani has now hit 40 home runs for the second consecutive year.
The two-time MVP has a chance to become the first player to join the 50-50 club. He’s presently on track to hit 50 home runs and steal 48 bases.
Ohtani, who was already the third-fastest player to 30-30, became the fastest player to reach 40-40 in a season in 126 games. The previous record was set by Soriano in his 147th game on Sept. 16, 2006. Ohtani had the potential to reach 40-40, but as a two-way player, it never happened. Now that he is a full-time DH, he can focus solely on his offense.
