Dodgers’ Dave Roberts Believes 50/50 Club Isn’t Out of Reach For Shohei Ohtani
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani joined the 40-40 club on Friday night with a walk-off grand slam. It couldn’t have been a better fairytale ending, but now that the chapter has come to a close, people inevitably want to know if Ohtani will become the first player in MLB history to reach the 50-50 club.
No player in MLB history has recorded 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in one season, but Ohtani certainly is on pace to become the very first.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed the $700 million man is in reach of hitting 50 home runs and recording 50 stolen bases.
“It is,” Roberts told The Los Angeles Times, when asked if 50-50 is within reach. “That’s never been done, right? With this guy and over a month of baseball left, I think anything’s possible.”
As the club continues stretching the 4.5-game lead in the National League West division race, the NL MVP favorite is focused on helping the Dodgers win every game. However, Ohtani is aware that every home run and every stolen base is one step closer to joining the 50-50 club.
“The most important thing is to be able to contribute to winning the game, and obviously the closer I get to 50-50, the more I’m contributing to the team winning,” he told Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain. “If that’s how it is, I’m happy for that.”
The Dodgers star reached the 40-40 club faster than any of his predecessors. Most members of the 40-40 club achieved the milestone in late September, meanwhile, Ohtani smashed 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases by the end of August.
Ohtani has been in somewhat of a slump as of late, although after the walk-off grand slam, it certainly doesn’t seem that way. The Dodgers slugger was hitting .174 throughout August, before eclipsing the the achievement.
Ohtani already has established himself as a Dodgers great in his first season with the team. If he were to reach the 50-50 club, he would become even more of a baseball legend.
All in all, it wouldn’t be a long shot if Ohtani reached the remarkable milestone. Ohtani is arguably the best player in baseball or at least the global face of the sport.
His first season in a Dodgers uniform has been nothing short of memorable, but Ohtani reaching the 50-50 club would be unbelievable.
Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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