Oh, Ohtani
A phenomenal hitting spree made Shohei Ohtani the first major league player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in one season. He's a force of nature--and the Dodgers need him to stay that way.
Shohei Ohtani had a good month the past two days.
On Thursday at Miami, the Dodgers’ designated hitter went an incredible six for six with three home runs, two doubles, four runs scored, and 10 runs batted in as the Dodgers swamped the Marlins, 20-4. His 50th homer, his second of the game, broke the Dodger franchise single-season home run record of 49, which had been held by Shawn Green.
It almost became a footnote that the win clinched a postseason berth for the Dodgers. But it will be the first postseason experience for Ohtani, who won the American League Most Valuable Player award twice during his six productive but playoff-less seasons up the freeway in Anaheim.
(The Angels, who let Ohtani leave without matching the 10-year, $700-million free-agent offer he received from the Dodgers last winter, have long since been eliminated from playoff contention and are three losses from matching their club record of 95. But we digress….)
Ohtani didn’t take the day off after his spectacular performance at Miami and a cross-country trip back to Los Angeles. To no one’s surprise, he came up with an impressive encore on Friday against Colorado.
After being greeted with a well-deserved standing ovation when he approached the plate at Dodger Stadium for his first at-bat, Ohtani went three for four, including a single earned on sheer speed and hustle and a home run. He scored two runs, drove in two and earned his 52nd stolen base of the season in the Dodgers’ 6-4 victory over the Rockies.
Over two days he has gone nine for 10 with four home runs, six runs scored, three stolen bases, and 12 runs batted in. According to noted historian and statistician Sarah Langs, he’s the first player with at least nine hits and 12 RBIs in a two-game span since RBIs became an official statistical category in 1920. Langs (@SlangsOnSports) has some other nifty factoids about Ohtani on her feed on the social media site formerly known as Twitter.
Ohtani also etched another line in baseball’s history books on Friday by recording his 14th game with a home run and a stolen base, breaking the record of 13 set in 1986 by Rickey Henderson, who was then with the New York Yankees.
Every day he seems to send baseball historians scrambling through dusty record books to find equal or better feats. It’s a full-time job to keep up with him and his achievements—and the Dodgers have eight games left in the regular season for him to add to those totals. Already, he has reached career-high numbers in hits (179), home runs (52), RBIs (122), runs (125), doubles (34), and total bases (383).
Whether Ohtani deserves another MVP award is a topic of emotional debates. He doesn’t play in the field, which hurts his case even though his offensive numbers are dazzling. Discussions of whether he’s the game’s greatest player ever generally center on his relative lack of longevity, which is fair given that he’s in his seventh major league season. That’s a discussion to revisit in a few years.
For now, it’s simply fun to watch him. When Ohtani comes to bat, I’m reminded of the sense of anticipation fans felt when Bobby Orr gathered the puck behind the Boston Bruins’ net before dodging would-be defenders as he glided up the ice, or when Wayne Gretzky found a bit of open ice to work his uncanny magic, and when Kobe Bryant had the ball during crunch time. Everyone in the building or watching them knew that they were going to do something incredible—it was just a matter of how they’d do it and how improbable it would be. Every appearance by Ohtani feels like that.
It’s also worth appreciating what Ohtani’s doing as possibly unmatchable—even by Ohtani himself. Remember, he’s expected to return to pitching next season following elbow surgery last September, his second elbow procedure. When he’s pitching, he will probably want to conserve energy and won’t be as active or aggressive on the basepaths. Although manager Dave Roberts had hinted that Ohtani might return to pitch in the playoffs, front office executive are dubious about that idea. That caution makes absolute sense, as questionable as the Dodgers’ postseason pitching plans appear to be.
Which provides a nice segue to the few down notes that emerged Friday, centered on pitching.
Tyler Glasnow spoke to the media Friday about his frustrations over his season-ending elbow sprain. “I’m searching for answers and a long-term plan,” he said. Clayton Kershaw (big toe bone spur) threw a bullpen session but Roberts said he’s still working his way toward regaining his health. And can Kershaw reasonably be counted on for a significant contribution at this stage of his career? Gavin Stone (shoulder inflammation) is unlikely to return for the playoffs. Walker Buehler has struggled. Bobby Miller pitched himself out of contention and down to the minors.
The first two playoff starters should be Yoshinobu Yamamoto and trade deadline acquisition Jack Flaherty. Beyond that, Roberts will have to be creative.
For the moment, though, Ohtani is the dominant story. Rightfully so. He has brought new life and new excitement to a sport whose long history is one of its greatest assets.
As play by play announcer Joe Davis said, “He’s continued to reframe what’s possible in this game,” one of many times Davis met the moment Thursday while calling the game for Spectrum SportsNet LA. Davis’ excitement and sense of the occasion were genuine and impeccable, first with Ohtani’s 49th homerun, then Ohtani’s opposite-field blast for no. 50—hitting a nice note with, “One of a kind player, one of a kind season,” and then 51.
Davis lived up to the occasion. Now, it’s up to the Dodgers to do the same in the playoffs.
The glass ceiling for Designated Hitters was broken at the HOF. There is no reason besides a stubborn electorate that a DH shouldn't win the MVP. PItchers have won an MVP, deservedly so. They affect the game less than DH's. It he doesn't have this monsterous season, the Dodgers are not likely in the playoffs, let alone battling for the best record in MLB.