Ohtani Newest Member Of The 40-40 Club
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
By Joshua Garcia
The year was 1998, and the country and much of the world would stop in the summer time to watch the at bats of two men, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. Although we now live in a day and age when most people are unwilling to stop their busy lives for a home run chase, two current ballplayers are changing the tides on that just a bit.
History is being made and Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are battling daily for headlines, stat lines, and the best player in baseball crown. Coast to coast debates are being fueled by the Japanese Legend in the making in Shohei Ohtani, arguably the most iconic star to play for the Dodgers since Jackie Robinson.
To be able to even argue that someone is having a better season than the Yankees’ Aaron Judge is borderline certifiable until you take a look at what Shohei Ohtani is doing in his first season with the Dodgers, and in a new league. While Judge has been impressive, Ohtani is putting up astronomical numbers never seen in the game of baseball before, oh and by the way, doing it all while rehabbing from Tommy John Surgery.
While many players rehab on backfields in Arizona and Florida, the Dodgers’ new Japanese Superstar has slashed his way to the first 40/40 season ever in the famed Franchise’s history. To put the feat into perspective how incredible Shohei Ohtani’s 40 home runs and 40 steals truly is, it took Barry Bonds 32 additional regular season games in the 1996 season to join the same illustrious club.
Doubters of Ohtani’s great feat will argue that the pitching rules of limiting throws to first base and the enlargement of the bases aid in accomplishing 40+ steals, but if that’s the case why are there only 2 players league wide who have gone over 40 this season? As well as the fact among the analytic faction of baseball is dead set against the act of stealing a base, as the numbers say 90 feet closer to home is not worth the risk of losing an out or an additional batter. In turn, if anything stealing bags in this modern era is actually more impressive, as managers base coaches and runners are always handcuffed by the front office on the base paths.
Los Angeles currently sits 3 games ahead of the reigning NL Champion Arizona D Backs heading down the stretch, and it’s no doubt that Shohei Ohtani has been the best player for his team and is keeping the Dodgers in first place. Ohtani is on pace to become the first player in MLB history to have 45 home runs and 45 steals in a single season and hit career highs in RBIs as well, which is impressive for a player who already has 2 MVPs in the American League.
When Shohei Ohtani is named the MVP, he will become the only player beside Frank Robinson to win MVP in both the National and American Leagues. Through 131 games, Ohtani holds a .292 batting average with 41 homers 40 steals and 94 RBI as the Dodgers fight for the NL West title.
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