Ohtani on the verge of historic 50/50 club

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has taken another significant step toward the historic 50/50 club by stealing three bases in a single game. On Tuesday, in an away game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field, Ohtani batted leadoff and delivered a strong performance, going 2-for-4 with two hits, two walks, and two runs scored.

Heading into the game, Ohtani's season stood at 44 home runs and 43 stolen bases. With his three steals that day, he advanced to 46 stolen bases while maintaining his 44 home runs. Now, with just six more home runs and four more steals needed in the remaining 24 games, Ohtani is on the brink of making baseball history as the first member of the 50/50 club. This rare achievement, where a player hits 50 home runs and steals 50 bases in a season, has never been reached in Major League Baseball’s 148-year history. Not only is Ohtani close to this unprecedented feat, but he’s also the first player ever to record more than 43 home runs and 43 stolen bases in a single season, further solidifying his status as one of the game’s most versatile stars.

He was left stranded on second after leading off the first inning with a single when Mookie Betts grounded into a double play. In the third inning, Ohtani was thrown out on an infield grounder. However, he quickly made up for it in the fourth inning, drawing a walk and stealing second for his 44th stolen base of the season. In the seventh inning, Ohtani led off with a single and promptly stole second again, beating the throw from Arizona catcher Adrian Del Castillo.

Ohtani, who currently leads the National League in home runs, is second in stolen bases, trailing only Cincinnati’s Elly De La Cruz, who has 61. Ohtani has stolen 46 bases out of 50 attempts, boasting a remarkable 92 percent success rate. He also ranks among the league’s top performers in nearly every major offensive category, leading in OPS (.993), sitting fifth in batting average (.292), and tied for second in RBIs (98).


Heon-Jae Lee uni@donga.com