Shohei Ohtani achieved the never-before-seen 50-50 season on Sept. 19, with 50 home runs and 50 steals in the same season. That wasn’t the end of his history-making this season.
Ohtani has since notched a few more achievements, such as the first 400-total base season since 2001 or breaking Ichiro Suzuki’s stolen base record among Japanese-born players, but he still has one big one in front of him: a Triple Crown, and it’s going to take some work.
After going 2-for-5 on Saturday, Ohtani’s batting average sits at .310 with one game left to play. Ahead of him is Luis Arraez of the San Diego Padres, who is hitting .314 after sitting out Saturday. With the NL home run title and the NL RBI title well in hand, Ohtani is one huge day from capturing the Triple Crown.
The NL hasn’t seen a Triple Crown since Joe Medwick did it in 1937.
What Shohei Ohtani needs to get the Triple Crown
The math of Ohtani’s batting average battle is tricky, with a high degree of difficulty.
The big question is if Arraez sits out Sunday, like he did Saturday. If he does, we know the target: .31388, because those extra digits are important.
Ohtani’s mark is .31013 as of Saturday night. He could reach where Arraez is now with a 4-for-5 night at Coors Field Sunday. A 3-for-4 game wouldn’t do it, nor a 4-for-6 game.
If Arraez does play, the target starts moving. If he goes, say, 2-for-4, Ohtani could tie him with a 5-for-6 game or pass him with a 5-for-5 game. If he does any better, this thing is basically over.
On the other hand, an 0-for-4 night by Arraez gives Ohtani an opening with a 3-for-5 night, but not 2-for-4.
This is all very complicated, but the basic statement is pretty simple: Ohtani will need a big day Sunday, whether or not Arraez plays. Given how he’s been playing in the last nine games, it feels possible.
Ohtani made a Triple Crown possible with one of the most ludicrous stretches in MLB history
Ohtani didn’t just achieve 50-50 on Sept. 19, he burst through the walls of the newfound club like the Kool-Aid Man with one of the best offensive games in MLB history. His total line: 6-for-6, three homers, two stolen bases, two doubles, four runs and 10 RBI.
It was the first three-homer, two-steal game and the 16th 10-RBI game in MLB history. And it was the start of one of the best stretches in MLB history.
Since that game, Ohtani has his 26-for-39 with six homers, six doubles, nine steals, 15 runs and 20 RBI in nine games.
Before Sept. 19, Ohtani was hitting .287 while Arraez was hitting .320. Arraez went 5-for-28 after that, opening the door for a dramatic final day. Ohtani’s 2024 season is already an all-time accomplishment, but a Triple Crown would make leave a once-in-a-generation mark on the record books.
Shohei Ohtani’s history-making goes beyond 50-50 and potential Triple Crown
Beyond creating the 50-50 club and his shot at the Triple Crown, Ohtani has done more than enough to make his first season with the Dodgers worth remembering.
As far as reaching certain numbers in home runs and stolen bases goes, Ohtani has journeyed deep into uncharted territory. In August, he became the sixth player to ever reach 40-40 — joining Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodríguez, Alfonso Soriano and Ronald Acuña Jr. — and he did so in record time. The earliest any of those players had reached both thresholds was Soriano on Sept. 16, 2006.
And Ohtani’s 40th homer was a special one: a walk-off grand slam.
Rodriguez previously held the record for most in both categories, with 42 homers and 46 stolen bases in 1998. Ohtani matched that 42-42 season on his bobblehead night on Aug. 28 and surpassed it two days later on Aug. 30.
Ohtani’s home run count surpasses his previous career high of 46 set in 2021, his first MVP year, and he has shattered his previous best in steals (26, also in 2021). He currently leads the NL in homers and ranks behind only Elly De La Cruz in steals.
The Sept. 19 game was Ohtani’s 13th game of the season with at least one homer and one steal, which tied him with Rickey Henderson in 1986 for the most in MLB history, according to The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya. Ohtani took sole possession of the record a day later, when he hit home run No. 52 and stole base No. 52. Friday was his 15th, extending his record.
Ohtani’s 50th homer also broke the Dodgers’ single season homer record, previously held by Shawn Green with 49 in 2001. He reached 400 total bases this season on Thursday as well, making him the first player since 2001 to reach the threshold.
And, of course, Ohtani set records for both size of contract ($700 million) and deferred contract money ($680 million) when he signed with the Dodgers before this season.
Ohtani has built his career on being unprecedented. Even in a season in which he isn’t able to pitch, having undergone UCL surgery at the end of 2023, he is still doing things MLB has never seen.
