The Los Angeles Dodgers fell 5-2 to the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday, but it wasn’t without Shohei Ohtani adding his name to the record books.
The two-time MVP went 1-for-3 with his National League-leading 38th home run and also stole two bases. It was the eighth game this season that Ohtani had at least one home run and stolen base, which set a new Dodgers franchise record.
Kirk Gibson previously held the record with seven such games, which had stood since the 1988 season. Gibson won NL MVP honors that year but made his biggest mark by hitting a walk-off home run against Oakland Athletics closer Dennis Eckersley in Game 1 of the World Series.
Ohtani could be well on his way to winning a third MVP Award as he is batting .290/.377/.613 with 73 extra-base hits, 88 RBI and 37 stolen bases in 122 games this season. His 6.1 wins above replacement lead all NL players.
The series finale against the Cardinals saw Ohtani slug his 39th home run of the year.
Ohtani is closing in on a 40-40 season, which would be the first in Dodgers history. Matt Kemp was the closest to reach it with 39 homers and 40 stolen bases in 2011.
Only five players have accomplished a 40-40 season, with the Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. being the most recent to do so in 2023.
With just under a month and a half of regular season games left on the schedule, it is plausible that Ohtani could become the first player in MLB player to record a 45-45 season.
Shohei Ohtani among Matt Kemp’s favorite players
The Dodgers welcomed back Kemp for a retirement ceremony last weekend, which saw the former All-Star outfielder discuss a number of topics with reporters.
Among them were his favorite players to watch. “There’s a lot of different guys. Of course Freddie (Freeman) is my favorite. I played with him in Atlanta and he’s here now. He’s one of my favorite players,” Kemp said.
“Of course Mookie (Betts), (Shohei) Ohtani, I could name all the Dodger players as my favorites. Then you’ve got (Ronald) Acuña and (Juan) Soto. There’s a lot of young, great talent. Baseball is on another level now.”
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