Shohei Ohtani continues to rewrite the history books, even when he's not pitching.
The two-way superstar is strictly a designated hitter this season as he recovers from elbow surgery, but he's certainly made the most of it.
On Friday night, Ohtani became the sixth player in MLB history to join the 40/40 club.
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Shohei Ohtani, #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers, celebrates after hitting a grand slam home run, his 40th home run of the season, against the Tampa Bay Rays at Dodger Stadium on August 23, 2024, in Los Angeles, California. (Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
Ohtani entered the Los Angeles Dodgers' game against the Tampa Bay Rays with 39 home runs and 39 stolen bases, so it was a matter of when, not if, he would join the exclusive club. Well, apparently he didn't want to wait much longer.
After singled in the fourth, Ohtani stole his 40th base of the year, but he wasn't done.
With the bases loaded in the ninth inning tied at 3, Ohtani hit a grand slam to officially join the club and give the Dodgers a 7-3 victory.
Ohtani joined Ronald Acuña Jr., Alfonso Soriano, Alex Rodríguez, José Canseco and Barry Bonds as the only players to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in the same season.
Ohtani's 40 stolen bases are already a career-high, surpassing his MVP season of 2021. The most home runs he has hit in a season is 46, which came in that same campaign.
Ohtani is on pace to win his third MVP, all of which would have come in the past four MLB seasons. He finished second to Aaron Judge, who hit 62 homers, in 2022. He won last year after leading the American League in OPS and also pitching to a 3.14 ERA.
Los Angeles, California, August 23, 2024. Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani steals his 40th base of the season against the Devil Rays in the fourth inning at Dodger Stadium on Friday. (Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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But, surprisingly, no one has done it faster than Ohtani, who needed to play just 126 games to accomplish the feat. Friday was the Dodgers' 129th, with the previous fastest being Soriano's 148th in 2006.
That said, there is plenty of time to add a page to the record books. No one has ever achieved a 50/50, something he is on track to achieve.
But let's not forget that when he's on the mound, he's also an ace.
Los Angeles, California, August 23, 2024. Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani hits a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the game against the Devil Rays at Dodger Stadium on Friday. (Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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