Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is the third player in franchise history to log a season with 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases.
Ohtani, who already hit 33 home runs this year, accomplished the latter half of the feat on Saturday when he stole his 29th, 30th and 31st bases of the season in Oakland. The Dodgers routed the Athletics 10-0, in Ohtani’s 108th game this year.
The Dodgers superstar is the third-fastest player in MLB history to record a 30-30 season. In just 90 games, Cincinnati Reds’ Eric Davis became the fastest player in history to achieve the milestone in 1987. Ohtani fell one game short of Alex’s Rodriguez’s accomplishment in 1998; he reached the 30-30 club in 107 games.
Ohtani is the first player to reach the 30-30 club in MLB this year and is on pace to have the first season with 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in Dodgers history.
“Obviously, he wasn’t going to be a pitcher this year,” manager Dave Roberts told MLB.com’s David Adler. “He was really focusing with [vice president of player performance] Brandon McDaniel and his staff, and keeping his body in a good spot to use his legs. He was really excited about being able to run free. You obviously knew he was going to hit homers.”
Ohtani somewhat knew he was close to reaching the 30-30 club on Saturday.
“I was vaguely aware,” Ohtani told 570-AM via interpreter Will Ireton. “I’m glad that I was able to get those two stolen bases and it felt good.”
This is a huge accolade for Ohtani, who became the third 30-30 player in Dodgers history. Raul Mondesi and Matt Kemp are the only other Dodgers to have 30-30 seasons. Mondesi had two 30-30 seasons.
In 1997, the right fielder scored 30 home runs and had 32 stolen bases and, in 1999, Mondesi beat his previous feat with 33 home runs and 36 stolen bases. Kemp, the three-time All Star, earned the accolade in 2011 and put up ridiculous numbers: 39 home runs and 40 stolen bases.
“I’m just really focused on putting up the numbers and doing my job,” Ohtani added. “I’m happy that I was able to do that tonight.”
Saturday’s game against the A’s was a special contest for myriad reasons. Trade deadline acquisition Jack Flaherty made his Dodgers debut. Flaherty threw six scoreless innings and struck out seven. The victory marked yet another time when Ohtani made history in Dodger blue.
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