There was no cool home run, but instead, he swept three stolen bases at once with tremendous speed and set a new record. Shohei Ohtani (LA Dodgers), a “man of 700 million dollars,” became the first Asian player to succeed in the Major League Baseball’s “30 Home Run-30 Steal.”
Ohtani started as the first and designated hitter in an away game against the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland Coliseum on the 4th and recorded two hits, one walk, one run and three steals in five at-bats.
Ohtani, who had 33 homers and 28 stolen bases until the previous day, joined the 30-homer and 30-homer club by sweeping three stolen bases on the day alone. It is the first time Ohtani, who made his Major League debut in 2018, has successfully stolen more than 30 bases in a season.
Ohtani was a leadoff hitter in the top of the first inning, got a walk, and stole second base immediately, succeeding. In his last attack at the top of the ninth inning, Ohtani stepped on the much-heralded 30th base stealing. Ohtani, the leadoff hitter, got on base with a heavy hit, stole second base during the at-bat of Teoscar Hernandez, and succeeded in 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases. He also stole third base to increase the number of stolen bases to 31.
Ohtani stole 30 homers and 30 steals for the first time in 108 games this season, making it the third-fifth game in MLB history. MLB.COM reported that only five players in MLB history have succeeded in stealing 40 homers and 40 steals. Ohtani, who has many more games to play, will also be able to aim for.
Currently, Ohtani, who has a batting average of 0.309, an on-base percentage of 0.400, a slugging percentage of 0.627 and 33 home runs, 79 RBIs and 85 runs, is dominating as the best hitter in the National League. Ohtani, who only plays as a batter, not a pitcher, has a weakness of being a designated hitter this season, but at this pace, he is likely to win the first-ever “designated hitter MVP.”
Meanwhile, thanks to Ohtani’s stellar performance, the Dodgers secured a landslide 10-0 victory to solidify its lead in the National League West. Jack Flaherty, who was recently traded to the Dodgers, became the winning pitcher with five hits, one walk, seven strikeouts and no runs in six innings.
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