(Photo courtesy of NBC News) “Shohei Ohtani swings the bat”
Jake Messer
Connector Editor
On Thursday, Sept. 19, Shohei Ohtani made history by becoming the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season. The historic day is topped off with the fact that he went 6-6 at the plate in a 20-4 win over the Miami Marlins, smashing three home runs and collecting 10 RBIs on the day.
This is particularly shocking as no other player has even come close to accomplishing this feat. In the entirety of baseball’s storied history, only five other players have reached the 40-40 plateau. Ohtani was briefly a part of this vaunted club but now stands alone, in a club all his own.
Ohtani, who has been unable to pitch this season due to an elbow injury, has been making up for this lost production behind the plate, being one of the best hitters in the majors this season. Ohtani’s production has helped the Dodgers clinch the NL West as they currently sit with a major league-leading 96 wins, clinching a spot in the postseason for the eleventh straight season.
Ohtani, who signed with the Dodgers last offseason for a record-breaking ten-year, $700 million contract, has lived up to the billing.
This season Ohtani is hitting .301, with 53 home runs and 123 RBIs, making him the current odds-on favorite to win the National League’s Most Valuable Player Award this season. His impact behind the plate has made him the face of baseball, as fans across the country come to see him play.
This drawing power can be seen firsthand as the Dodgers have had the highest attendance average this season with just over 45,000 people coming through the gates during home games, the most in the majors this season.
One thing that must be mentioned again is that his dominance this season is just being felt behind the plate, not in front of it. His elbow injury is holding him back from completely taking over games. When he can pitch, Shohei Ohtani is one of the best pitchers in baseball and one of the best hitters. He is truly a superstar in every sense of the word.
Now that Ohtani is finally on a true title contender, it is time to see how he handles the frigid pressure of baseball in October.
Having played six years in the majors, Ohtani has never played in an MLB playoff game and will be tested as the assortment of teams chasing the National League Pennant this postseason will be rather difficult to overcome.
Some think that Ohtani will not live up to the billing, as the Dodgers themself have yielded minimal success during their playoff runs over the last decade, only winning one championship in 11 years, which is hard to celebrate given their enormous salary budget and blockbuster star players from years past.
On the contrary, Ohtani might be the player that the Dodgers so desperately need to achieve consistent postseason success.
During this season, Ohtani leads his team in almost every single major hitting statistic, easily making him the best player on the team. Unless the cold air of October chills his bat, Ohtani will almost certainly be the driving force that leads the Dodgers deep into the playoffs.
With the MLB playoffs officially starting on Tuesday, Oct. 1, it will be worth seeing if the face of baseball can hold the sport’s ultimate prize. From April to September, Ohtani is the attraction. October is the time for results. Let’s see if superstar Shohei Ohtani can cap off a historic season with championship gold.
