Another Day, Another Dodgers Record Belongs to Shohei Ohtani
The Los Angeles Dodgers did not play well on Tuesday night in a 4-2 loss to the San Diego Padres but designated hitter Shohei Ohtani set another record.
With his leadoff ground-rule double in the bottom of the first inning, Ohtani became the franchise leader for extra-base hits in a single season. Babe Herman previously was the record holder, with 94 in 1930.
Ohtani has been enjoying his first season as a Dodger. Playing in front of sellout crowds day in and day out has been “refreshing.”
“The atmosphere here at Dodger Stadium — it’s obviously a historic stadium. And the atmosphere here, it’s different. It feels fresh,” Ohtani says. “It’s just kind of a different level. So it is a refreshing feeling when I do go out there and play here.”
Ohtani has raised the bar for players who are or want to be a Dodger and expectations for this year’s team couldn’t be any higher despite the numerous injuries.
Ohtani became the first Dodgers player to record a 40/40 season — 40 home runs, 40 stolen bases — and kept going from there. On Sept. 19 in Miami, he delivered a historic performance, going 6-for-6 with three home runs, two stolen bases, and 10 RBIs. This incredible game pushed him to 50 home runs and 50 steals, making him the first player in MLB history to achieve a 50/50 season. He also broke Shawn Green’s Dodgers record of 49 home runs, set in 2001.
“I think we’ve said everything we can since he’s been through this league about what an amazing player he is,” says eight-time All-Star Freddie Freeman. “But when you come here you just never know how the first year is going to go on any team. Sometimes you just got to step back and just appreciate a player like this.”
Ohtani set new single-season records for home runs and extra-base hits with the Dodgers and is poised to be a top contender for the National League MVP award, just one season after earning the same honor in the American League.
The two-way star hit two of the five longest home runs in MLB this season, with blasts measuring 473 feet and 476 feet, the latter coming on June 18 in Colorado, clearing the center-field pine trees.
He also set a Dodgers Statcast-era record with a 119.2-mph single in Toronto on April 27. In fact, Ohtani now holds the top nine hardest-hit balls by a Dodger during the Statcast Era and 14 of the top 15.
“This is my job. It’s my profession. So, I have to kind of hit the ball hard,” Ohtani says. “But at the same time, there’s no explaining (the feeling) when you do get a hold of one and you barrel one up and hit it deep. If anything, if I’m helping the team win and when I’m rounding the bases and the fans are going crazy, that’s obviously all included in that feeling of any home run. So it feels great.”
Ohtani has five more games to grab ahold of that feeling before the playoffs begin. That will be another new experience for him and Dodger Stadium in the postseason will be louder than what he has witnessed all year.
Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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