The baseball phenom Shohei Ohtani broke an MLB record on Thursday September 19, 2024.
Weeks prior to the start of postseason, Ohtani had radio stations across the country conversing about his accomplishment. Entering the game against the Miami Marlins, Ohtani had 48 home runs and over 50 stolen bases tallied up throughout the season.
Halfway through the game Ohtani blasted his 49th home run deep to right center field, putting the Dodgers up 9-3. Then, in the 7th inning, Ohtani drove a ball deep to left field. The ball cleared the fence making it his 50th home run of the season. In that moment, Ohtani had become the first player ever to hit for 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season.
The 30 year old did not disappoint and capped off his game with a 440 foot home run to give his team a 17-3 lead. The Dodgers proceeded to blowout the Marlins and win 20 to 4. However, the main focus of the game was centered around Ohtani and his 3 home run, record breaking game.
Ohtani is on pace to become the first ever player to win the Most Valuable Player award as a designated hitter. After the game, Ohtani was interviewed, and he exclaimed,“To be honest, I’m the one probably most surprised.” Friend and veteran teammate Miguel Rojas was also interviewed and said, “I almost cried, to be honest with you. It was a lot of emotion, because of everything that happens behind the scenes that we get to witness every single day… We all know what he’s capable of doing, but for him to reach that mark it’s pretty amazing.”
I decided to ask two of my classmates what they thought about Ohtani’s record breaking game. Nate Kenniston remarks, “It is incredible how Ohtani can do this while also being able to throw 100 on the mound.” I must note that Ohtani is restrained from pitching this year, but in a normal season Ohtani is a top pitcher in the major league. Let’s see what freshman Jake Aroujo has to say about the game, “When he connected with the ball everyone knew history was about to be made.” Ohtani’s 50/50 game was pure excitement. Everyone wanted him to reach this milestone and he did not disappoint.
What can the Japanese superstar not do? He is only in his 7th MLB season, but this is going to be his first year in the playoffs. He was traded to the Dodgers this year and a World Series Title would be remarkable, but the Dodgers have struggled the past few seasons in October. The question is can the best player in MLB, Shohei Ohtani bring them over that hump?
