Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani Sets Stolen Base Record
Shohei Ohtani joined another elite club when he broke Ichiro Suzuki’s single-season stolen base record for a Japanese-born player against the Colorado Rockies on Friday night.
With his 57th stolen base, Ohtani has become one of the greatest base runners in baseball history which only adds to the legend of the two-way player.
The journey to holding this record became realistic when he sat tied with manager Dave Roberts.
It came after Ohtani singled off Miami Marlins left-hander Ryan Weathers in his first at-bat on Wednesday, Sept.18. He then stole second base on the very first pitch to Mookie Betts, sliding in safely.
With his 49th stolen base, Ohtani tied with Roberts for the second-most stolen bases in a single season by a Japanese-born player in Major League history.
Ohtani isn’t pitching this season after undergoing his second Tommy John surgery over the offseason which is why this accomplishment is so impressive. Once he starts pitching again, he might not have the freedom to run as much.
As Roberts told The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya, “It’s a big, physical toll. I don’t see how he’d be able to do this if he were pitching. I don’t think he would.”
Inside the Dodgers franchise, Ohtani has a ways to go if he wants to hold the franchise record for stolen bases in a single season. That is held by Maury Wills who stole 104 bases in 1962. He swiped 94 three years later during the 1965 season.
Hitting home runs and swiping bags is another category in itself. Think about it, hitting home runs takes away opportunities to steal bases.
In 2007, Juan Pierre stole 64 bases for the Dodgers without hitting a single home run. Fourteen other Dodgers players have stolen 50 bases in a season, with Davey Lopes holding the record for the most homers among them at 10 in 1974.
“Hitting 50 home runs, that’s 50 less times you’ve got to do anything on the bases,” Pierre said. “He’s just trotting, so he’s good.”
Pierre laughed, “You almost get jealous, like how could you be that fast and then hit the ball 500 feet?” said Pierre, who hit 18 home runs in 14 seasons. “It’s just not fair, the things he’s doing. He’s literally changing the game.”
Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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