They call Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani a two-way player. But he’s more of a one-man “Sho.”
And the 30-year-old is still very much a two-way performer if we look at the way he attacks by air, smashing pitches to distant places, or by ground, dashing unhindered to the nearest base.
The Dodgers’ designated hitter, who seemingly had the whole world watching baseball at the same moment, didn’t just break through with the first 50-50 season in Major League Baseball history on Thursday in Miami—he broke the internet. He broke social media apps and other man-made amusements. And he broke the mold. Again.
The top import from Japan since automobiles, Ohtani slugged three homers and stole two bases to finish the game with a symmetrical superhero feat of 51-51, thumbing his nose at what scouts and baseball’s thinkers imagine is possible.
No player had ever done this. Not Willie Mays. Not Joe DiMaggio. Not Barry Bonds. Not even Ken Griffy Jr. or Alex Rodriguez. Not any of the legends in the history of the game could get to 50-50. The closest seasons were a 42-46 effort Rodriguez put together in 1998 and an Alfonso Soriano 46-41 run in 2006.
Ohtani has done it much like the heroics seen in comic books: a 6-for-6 game that featured five extra-base hits. Even Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks chairman Sadaharu Oh, the great slugger of Japan’s Yomiuri Giants who is widely seen as the world home run leader with 868, was left with mouth agape.
“The level of demands on him keeps going up, and he just keeps surpassing them. It’s remarkable,” Oh continued, who seemed to be astounded at Ohtani’s base running.
“Fifty steals—sometimes [Japan’s] leader in stolen bases doesn’t even reach that figure, so the way he does it is amazing. And this was not his goal. I’m excited to see how many [homers] he can hit.”
Let’s not throw 60-60 out there just yet but Ohtani’s certainly on track to become the first DH to capture an MVP honor.
This “Sho” didn’t hit the road without a few bumps, though.
Ohtani, who hasn’t pitched this season as he continues his recovery from a second Tommy John surgery for his elbow, has had to grind it out while blazing this trail in the big leagues.
Left-hander Dallas Keuchel, who joined Japan’s Chiba Lotte Marines midseason after starting this year with the Milwaukee Brewers, said Ohtani isn’t just stealing bases because of the rule change that limits pickoff throws and mound disengagements for pitchers.
“I’ve been surprised, to be honest with you,” Keuchel said recently before a Pacific League game just outside of Tokyo. “Not because of what he’s actually doing, but because of the progress that he’s made.
“And that, to me, I think speaks volumes for probably the work he’s put in, and a lot of other things, which have impressed me the most. [It’s] because of where he started to where he is now—it’s almost night and day, even though you physically see him and he’s the same.
“But just, his hand-eye coordination has gotten better, he’s had a couple of arm issues, but, shoot, when he’s out there, it’s lightning,” said Keuchel, who won the Cy Young Award in 2015 with Houston Astros and pitched against Ohtani, who was then with the Los Angeles Angels.
When asked what he remembers about facing MLB’s first 50-50 man, Keuchel was blunt.
“I remember he had a lot more holes [in his swing] than he does now. I think [the Dodgers’ Clayton] Kershaw said it—he had spurts of what he’s showing now back then, but it wasn’t consistent like it is now.”
Keuchel said other pitchers echo a similar sentiment, adding he’s “consistently doing it now.”
“You might catch him in an 0-for-12, but then it’s like 5-for-7 all of a sudden, with a couple of home runs. And it’s just the way he connects with the baseball is probably unlike what we’ve seen. Maybe a couple of guys do it, because a couple of guys have been very special over the years, including (Mike) Trout and (Albert) Pujols and maybe Jose Altuve is probably in there for me because of his bat-to-ball skills and his power now. But it’s just special and I’m happy for him.”
Ohtani stepped up like a superhero when he took over the plot of what looked to be a ho-hum game in Miami on Thursday. The result may secure him a spot in the Hall of Fame. It was his first career six-hit game, first three-homer game, the 10 RBIs were a club and career best—and it was the first such stat line in MLB history.
Ohtani also surpassed Shawn Green in the rich history of the Dodgers for the most longballs in a single season, all coming in a game that clinched a playoff spot for LA. And with timing being everything in “Sho”-business, he blasted homer No. 50 in his first plate appearance with a chance to accomplish the feat.
Ohtani drew a plethora of comparisons to Babe Ruth early in his big league career. But one can imagine Ruth raising a glass from baseball heaven to honor a player who really knows how to put on a show.
