Shohei Ohtani makes history in joining 30-30 club

Shohei Ohtani is currently having one of the best offensive seasons of all time for a designated hitter , and on Saturday night, he accomplished a feat no one else at the position ever has.

With three stolen bases against the Oakland Athletics, Ohtani became the first DH to join the 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases club. He is the first player to reach the 30-30 mark this season.

Ohtani is the third Dodger to reach the milestone ( Raul Mondesi did it twice) and the first since Matt Kemp’s 39-40 season in 2011.

This was game 108 for Ohtani this season, making him the third-fastest player to record a 30-30 season. He was just one game short of tying Alex Rodriguez for second place.

Ohtani never had problems hitting home runs when he was on the Los Angeles Angels, but he never stole bases at the same rate he does with the Dodgers. His previous career high was 26 in 2021 and is already at 31 this year.

"He and (first-base coach) Clayton McCullough have a very good relationship, so there's a lot of trust between those two as far as tendencies and pitchers and things like that," manager Dave Roberts said. "(Aaron) Judge is certainly having a tremendous year, but Shohei ... as far as the foot speed, what he can do offensively, he's one of one."

Ohtani’s 33 home runs lead the National League, and his 31 swiped bags are good for third-best in all of baseball.

A 40-40 season is not out of the question for Ohtani. If he can accomplish it, he will be the sixth player in MLB history and the first Dodger to reach the milestone.