New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge has been dominating the headlines this season. The towering outfielder is on pace to match his own American League record of 62 home runs this season, and with the way he’s swinging the ball right now, he could surpass that mark.
But there is another superstar hitter who dominates opposing pitchers, this time in the National League: Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
For six or seven years, the question has been how Ohtani would perform if he were just a pitcher or just a hitter. Would he be better if he specialized in just one aspect of the game? As he recovers from Tommy John surgery, we’ve gotten a glimpse of what Ohtani would look like if he focused solely on hitting. And the superstar hasn’t disappointed.
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Ohtani hits home runs, we all know that. He’s hit 40 home runs a year several times throughout his career. But we see Ohtani steal bases, and do it efficiently, in a way that no one expected.
Earlier in Friday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Ohtani stole his 40th base of the year, giving him a total of 39 home runs and 40 stolen bases on the year.
Later that same game, with the bases loaded in the ninth inning, Ohtani came to bat with the score tied 3-3. Rays relief pitcher Colin Poche threw an 84 mph slider and the rest is history.
Check this out:
Shohei Ohtani hit a walk-off grand slam and became the first Dodger player in franchise history to make the 40 home run/40 stolen base club.
He is the sixth player in MLB history to join the club, and he has done so in fewer games than anyone else.
The best player of all time. pic.twitter.com/4hKSeTkuaA
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) 24 August 2024
With that grand slam, the Dodgers won the game, that much is clear. Ohtani became only the sixth member of the 40/40 club in MLB history. He did it in fewer games than anyone else, making him a realistic threat to become the first member of the 50-home run and 50-struck base club in baseball history.
Ohtani became the first 40/40 member in franchise history in his first season with Dodger Blue, which is why the Dodgers gave Ohtani the huge contract last winter.
He didn’t steal 40 bases by accident. He did it with a success rate of over 40 percent, more efficient than he ever was in his career.
And mind you, he’s doing this while recovering from Tommy John surgery, which requires a detail-oriented recovery plan. What can’t this star do?
