Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani Chasing Franchise Record Held by Brooklyn’s ‘Babe’

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani hit his 44th home run on Saturday at Chase Field. It was also his 80th extra-base hit.

As the final month of the season begins, Ohtani is on pace to break a franchise record held by Floyd “Babe” Herman. The Brooklyn outfielder set the Dodgers’ single-season record for extra-base hits in 1930.

Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman was four extra-base hits away from reaching Herman’s total of 94 last year. Despite falling short of Herman’s total, Freeman still set a Los Angeles record with 90 extra-base hits.

The Dodgers were just as talented in Brooklyn as they are in Los Angeles. Herman’s 1930 season was nothing short of spectacular.

Herman batted .393 with 35 home runs and 130 RBIs, all career-high numbers. The Brooklyn outfielder tallied 416 total bases, including 94 extra-base hits and 48 doubles.

Herman’s 1930 performance is regarded as one of the greatest individual seasons in Dodgers history. He ranked in the top five of 12 offensive categories in the National League.

The 27-year-old finished second in the NL batting race, only behind Bill Terry, who batted .401 that season.

Herman’s feat was all the more impressive given the league-wide offensive efflux. The 1930 season was a year when teams averaged 5.55 runs per game. League hitters batted .296 on average and got on base at a .356 clip.

In 1930, pitchers recorded an all-time high 4.81 ERA. Meanwhile, the league-wide slugging percentage at .434 ranks second all-time behind the 2000 season.

The offensive surge in 1930 is telling of how breathtaking Herman’s season was in Brooklyn.

Flash forward to 2024, and a 30-year-old Ohtani is making a strong case for being the greatest player in the history of baseball.

In Saturday’s 8-6 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, Ohtani led the home run rally for the Dodgers. Freeman and Mookie Betts followed suit with homers of their own.

The three consecutive dingers from the Dodgers’ trio positioned Los Angeles with a 3-0 lead before an out was even recorded. It was also a historic feat.

It was the first time in franchise history that the first three Dodgers in the lineup homered consecutively in a game.

Ohtani’s first season with the Dodgers has been everything fans hoped it would be, and then some. He enters Tuesday’s game in Anaheim with 44 home runs and 46 stolen bases.

Photo credit: Owen Ziliak/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

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