Shohei Ohtani has enjoyed a historic debut season with the Los Angeles Dodgers as he is on the brink of becoming the first 50-50 player in MLB history.
Ohtani is three home runs and two stolen bases away from accomplishing the feat, and has 16 games left on the Dodgers’ regular-season schedule to reach the milestone.
Ohtani has appeared in all but three of the team’s games this season.
Manager Dave Roberts has indicated that he would like to find more opportunities for rest, especially if the Dodgers clinch the National League West, but won’t do so as long as Ohtani is chasing history, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“I don’t know. Probably not,” Roberts said. “It’s all dependent on how he’s feeling. We’ve given him, I think, two days off this year when I felt he needed it. I would only do that if I felt it was needed.”
Ohtani would need to break Shawn Green’s Dodgers single-season record of 49 home runs that was set during the 2001 season in order to reach MLB history.
Ohtani has already set numerous records along the way, including becoming MLB’s first 46-46 player. While he understands the significance of reaching 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases, the 30-year-old has repeatedly stated that his biggest goal is helping the Dodgers win the World Series.
Shohei Ohtani: ‘Very exciting’ being part of postseason picture
Ohtani spent the first six seasons of his MLB career with the Los Angeles Angels and set multiple records as a two-way player, but never got to experience October baseball.
Ohtani left the Angels to sign a record-setting 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers last offseason partly due to the organization’s stretch of recent success.
The Dodgers have reached the playoffs in every year since 2013 and are on track to win another National League West title.
Ohtani recently said he has enjoyed being part of a playoff race for the first time in his career.
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