Shohei Ohtani has made history yet again.
The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar became the fastest player in Major League history to join the 40-40 club on Friday, doing so in spectacular fashion with a walk-off grand slam to defeat the Tampa Bay Rays, 7–3.
It appeared Ohtani might not get one more at-bat in the game unless it went to extra innings with a 3–3 tie. But Will Smith led off the bottom of the ninth by getting hit by a pitch and Tommy Edman followed with a single. After a sacrifice bunt by Miguel Rojas and groundout by Gavin Lux, Max Muncy pinch-hit for Enrique Hernandez and drew a walk to load the bases and bring Ohtani to the plate.
Rays reliever Manuel Rodríguez had no choice but to pitch to Ohtani with the bases full. On his first pitch, he hung an 84 mph slider out over the plate and Ohtani crushed it to center field.
Ohtani got his 40th stolen base in the fourth inning, swiping second after a leadoff single off Tyler Alexander and putting him one swing away from joining an exclusive club.
The two-time MVP entered Friday’s game with 39 home runs and 39 stolen bases on the year. He joined the 30-30 club earlier this month in a 10-0 Dodgers win over the Oakland Athletics, which made him the third-fastest player in league history to hit that mark. He did so in 108 games, one behind Alex Rodriguez’s mark set in 1998 with the Seattle Mariners and 18 behind Eric Davis, who did so in 90 games with the Cincinnati Reds in 1987.
Ohtani is now the sixth player in MLB history to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a single season. Ronald Acuña Jr. hit the mark last season, when he stole an incredible 60 bases. Alfonso Soriano, Rodriguez, Barry Bonds and José Canseco are the others in the 40/40 club.
All five of those players needed until late September to pull off the feat. Soriano was the previous fastest to do so, hitting the mark on Sept. 16, 2006. Ohtani is nearly a full month ahead of that pace.
Ohtani is batting .292 with a .992 OPS to go with his 40 home runs this season, his first with the Dodgers. He leads the National League in home runs and trails only New York Yankees star Aaron Judge, who hit his 49th homer of the season on Friday. Only Cincinnati Reds star Elly De La Cruz has stolen more bases this year, with 60.
While he’s still recovering from elbow surgery that kept him off the mound this year, Ohtani has made an incredible case for the NL’s MVP award this season. His latest record only added to that campaign, and there’s still more than a month left in the regular season.
Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
