Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani moved closer to becoming MLB’s first ever 50-50 player on Monday night, as he racked up three steals in a 11-6 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, taking his season total to 44 home runs and 46 stolen bases.
With 24 regular-season games remaining, the two-time AL MVP has an excellent chance to accomplish the feat, having last week beaten the previous 43-43 record set by Alex Rodriguez back in 1998.
Ohtani joined the esteemed 40-40 club the previous week, with his name now sitting alongside Rodriguez, Alfonso Soriano, Jose Canseco, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Barry Bonds.
The 30-year-old helped the Dodgers to an important victory over the D-Backs, which moved LA to an MLB-best 83 wins and secured the season series against Arizona.
“After winning the first two games but dropping the third, being able to come back to win this one is a huge win,” Ohtani said via interpreter Will Ireton, according to MLB.com. “And, obviously, against a division rival is a big deal.”
Having started the game with a leadoff single, Ohtani walked and stole his first base of the night in the fourth inning.
Ohtani then nabbed back-to-back steals in the seventh. With the Dodgers 3-1 up and a 1-0 count at the plate, Ohtani easily took second base. On the very next pitch, he stole third as Jordan Montgomery’s curveball escaped catcher Adrian Del Castillo.
The Dodgers star eventually came home on a sacrifice fly from Freddie Freeman, kicking off a three-run inning that Arizona would not recover from.
Ohtani’s next opportunity to move towards the 50-50 milestone comes on Tuesday against his former club, the Los Angeles Angels, in his first regular-season return to Angel Stadium following his move across the city at the end of last year.
“I was thinking about giving him an off-day tomorrow,” joked manager Dave Roberts, per MLB.com. “I’m sure it’s going to be somewhat emotional, but emotions are relative to the person and I think he’s going to be just fine going back there and helping us win a ballgame.
“There’s nothing that he’s had to deal with that he hasn’t passed with flying colors.”