On Sept. 19, in a match against the Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers’ pitcher and hitter Shohei Ohtani became the first and only Major League Baseball player to record 50 home runs and 50 steals in a single season. This historical achievement Ohtani made has gained the praise of many baseball fans worldwide, not only acknowledging the great performance during his MLB career, but also heightening the prospects for him in the coming years.
Despite still recovering from an ulnar collateral ligament tear in his right elbow, Ohtani made three home runs, stole two bases, and drove 10 runs in the game against the Marlins, which was one of the greatest performances seen in MLB history. On Sept. 27, Ohtani even reached 400 total bases, finishing the season with a .310 batting average, 54 home runs, 130 RBIs, 59 stolen bases, 134 runs scored, and 197 hits, which are all his career high records.
“The 50-50 home run record is an accomplishment that is beyond imaginable,” Dominic Hahm (12), a frequent MLB viewer, said. “It is the first time it has happened in the entire history of the MLB and shows how Ohtani has the potential to become one of the greatest to ever play in the sport.”
After showing some potential as a rising prospect in the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters from 2013 to 2017, when he won the 2016 Japan Series with them, he first joined the American league in 2018, signing a two-year contract worth $7.5 million with the Los Angeles Angels. From 2018 to 2019, Ohtani suffered from frequent injuries, but when he returned in 2021, Ohtani hit 46 home runs while having 156 strikeouts as a pitcher. In 2022, he also set the record for being the first player to be on the leaderboard for both hitting and pitching in one season, with 219 strikeouts.
His striking introduction to the American league allowed him to join the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023, signing a ten year, $700m contract, which set new records for average annual MLB salary, along with many more records related to pay. Other than the 50-50 record he set, Ohtani has also topped MLB jersey sales for the second straight season this year, proving not only in performance but also popularity.
“Honestly, Ohtani deserves the success he has currently achieved,” David Kim (12), LA Dodgers fan, said. “He is extremely talented and is a very likable person, but his great achievements in the MLB have not happened because he was simply lucky or great at baseball. He is very consistent and has great sportsmanship.”
Although Ohtani’s success can be attributed to his uniqueness as a two-way player, or a player who is both a pitcher and a hitter, that is not the only reason he was able to reach the level of success he saw in the MLB. Even prior to his signing at the LA Dodgers, Ohtani was known for his rigorous work ethic. Back in 2013, when Ohtani was still in high school, he was published in a Japanese newspaper for his goal matrix. The planner would have his main goal in the center, which was to be drafted as a professional player, and would have eight sub-goals that would surround the main goal.
“Ohtani is a role model for most baseball players and fans,” Ian Kim (9), baseball fan, said. “Although his talent is impossible to match, his level of effort and mindset can be learned by other people. His story of having a detailed life plan in highschool to becoming the best baseball player of the 21st century is a very inspirational one.”
