Ohtani’s feat of 50/50

Shohei Ohtani’s feat is a testament to his unparalleled talent. The Mizusawa, Oshu, Japan, player achieved a milestone that had never been reached in the history of Major League Baseball — the 50-home run/50-stolen base plateau.

On September 19, 2024, the Dodger designated hitter boldly ventured into uncharted territory, not only establishing a new single season record of 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases, but also rewriting the Dodgers’ history books. His performance, which included three home runs among his six-hit, 10-RBI, two-stolen-base masterpiece in the Los Angeles Dodgers 20-4 victory over the Miami Marlins, has not only solidified his place as a historical figure in the grand old game but also added a new chapter to the annals of baseball history. In fact, Ohtani’s last four games included 14 hits, 13 RBIs, six stolen bases and five home runs.

While Ohtani’s 50-home run/50-stolen base mark is undeniable, it’s important to remember the giants of the game who have come before him. His journey, to be compared to Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Barry Bonds and other great players, is a testament to the rich history of baseball and a mark of respect for the legends who paved the way.

Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani steps to the plate. PHOTO: ALL PRPO REELS

Let us start with the magnificence of George Herman Ruth, who pitched and batted the Boston Red Sox to three World Series titles — 1915, 16 and 18 — before being sold to the New York Yankees, where he would change the dimensions of baseball with his power-hitting exploits. They include a 60-home run season in 1927 and the building of the “Yankee Dynasty.”

Ruth’s single-season home run record stood until 1961 when Roger Maris broke it. Hank Aaron broke his career home run mark of 714 in 1974. Aaron finished with 755 career home runs and is still considered by many to be the true Major League Baseball all-time home run leader, while the MLB record books show Barry Bonds as the single-season (73) and career leader (762). It will be interesting to see if the Dodgers DH will play long enough to reach one of these milestones.

Willie Mays set the benchmark for home runs and stolen bases with the first 30/30 season in 1964, over a decade before the designated hitter rule, under which Ohtani currently operates, was established. Mays, considered by many other knowledgeable baseball people as the best all-around baseball player of all time, said, “I only stole bases when my team needed me to steal them.” As he watched future players Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds and others eclipse the 40/40 mark, he said, “I could have easily achieved those records and more if I wanted to, no ego, just fact.” Mays also hit four homers in one game against the Braves when they were in Milwaukee.

Last season, Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves set a new standard by stealing 72 bases while hitting 42 home runs. And now, Major League Baseball has Shohei Ohtani’s 50/50, and still counting, achievement to look up to.

One interesting point is that Mays, who watched Ohtani pitch and hit during his early career with the California Angels, said, “I was never asked to pitch. I could have done it, but I was never asked to do it. I was considered too valuable as an everyday player to put more wear and tear on my arm as a pitcher.” His words proved prophetic when Ohtani had to have surgery on his pitching arm following last season.

The Dodgers still made the $700 million investment in Ohtani, knowing that he could not pitch or play the outfield this year, which left designated hitting and baserunning as his principal weapons. He has truly worked to excel at both. But that still leaves questions regarding his place among the game’s all-time greats.

Babe Ruth changed the game of baseball reaching mythical heights, and his name is officially listed in dictionaries as “Ruthian.” The statue of the World Series Most Valuable Player Award is modeled after Mays’s historic catch in the 1954 World Series and named in his honor. Further, young Ohtani will have to go a long distance to match Mays’s record achievement of 12 career Gold Gloves for defensive excellence.

We should not overlook the many spectacular achievements of Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente and others. Again, I will state that all I have written is in no way a knock on Shohei Ohtani and his records. But when anyone says that he is the greatest player ever to play the game, he should take a deep, hard look into the history of Major League Baseball and realize that Shohei Ohtani is carving a path in a 200 plus-year-old game that others, with more incredible career statistics, have laid out before him.

And Ohtani also can’t be called the greatest of all time until he proves it in postseason competition. As great as he was for the Angels, his team never made the playoffs during his years there. He was terrific in leading his country, Japan, to the 2023 World Baseball Classic title. Now he will have to do it in the upcoming MLB postseason competition, his first after 866 games played in the major leagues, the longest drought by an active player.

I witnessed his three-homer, six-hit, 10-RBI, and two-stolen base game. It was a thing of beauty. But I’ll reserve the greatest of all-time talk for a future day.

Otahni finishes the regular season with 54 home runs, 59 stolen bases, 130 RBI’s and a .310 batting average.