The Los Angeles Dodgers are playing meaningful games in the deep portion of their regular season schedule, simultaneously benefitting from the potential history that Shohei Ohtani is chasing with his pursuit of Major League Baseball’s first 50-50 season.
On Tuesday against the Miami Marlins, Ohtani slugged his National League leading 48th home run, equally matching his 48 steals on the season. The Dodgers’ superstar is projected to reach the iconic 50-50 mark in his first year with his new club as he is on pace for 51 of each.
In his last two months, Ohtani has posted a .236 batting average while hitting 16 home runs and logging 20 stolen bases. An iconic statistical season would undoubtedly lock in an MVP Award, and to his word, he maintains that the numbers aren’t putting too much on his shoulders, per Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“No pressure. Just trying to maintain quality at-bats no matter the situation – something I’ve been trying to do over the course of the season,” Ohtani said through his interpreter of approaching history.
“It’s something that’s obviously been cumulatively been added to during the year. That really shows I’ve been contributing to the team. That being said, the team is going through a little bit of a struggle so my focus is trying to contribute to the team regardless.”
On the year, Ohtani has batted .287/.372/.611 with a 166 wRC+, leading the NL in several categories. To this point, no full-time designated hitter has ever won an MVP, but he’s the betting favorite to win the first.
Keeping their mind on postseason baseball, Ohtani’s 50-50 season would be another positive crowning piece to a bid for a division title and a top seed in the NL.
Shohei Ohtani makes history
When Ohtani slugged his 48th home run of the season on Tuesday against the Marlins, he reached the 219th for his Major League career. That officially gave him the all-time record for home runs hit by an Asian-born player in big league history.
Shin Soo-Choo, who was born in Busan, South Korea, held the record with 218 prior to Ohtani taking it over.
It took Ohtani just seven seasons to own the record, clubbing 171 in six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels and, to this point, 48, in his first year with the Dodgers.
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