March to 50-50: Ohtani racks up 3 steals to reach 46
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PHOENIX -- It feels inevitable, doesn’t it?
When Shohei Ohtani became the fastest player to join the 40-40 club on Aug. 23, the natural question was whether the Dodgers superstar could reach 50-50 before the regular-season calendar ran out on him.
Well, it’s been 10 days and he has 44 homers and 46 stolen bases, after swiping three, including two back to back, in Monday’s 11-6 victory over the D-backs at Chase Field.
Ohtani wrapped up a 12-homer, 15-stolen base August by becoming the inaugural member of MLB’s 43-43 club on Friday, then he hit his 44th homer on Saturday. He opened September with a quiet 0-for-4, but got right back to work on Monday with a leadoff single, then walking and stealing his 44th base in the fourth.
Batting in the seventh inning with the Dodgers holding a 3-1 lead, Ohtani reached with a one-out single to right field. With a 1-0 count on Mookie Betts at the plate, Ohtani stole second base, easily beating the throw from D-backs catcher Adrian Del Castillo.
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On the next pitch, he took third without a throw when lefty Jordan Montgomery’s curveball hit the dirt.
The D-backs intentionally walked Betts, and Ohtani scored on Freddie Freeman’s sacrifice fly to left, igniting a three-run inning for the Dodgers as they began to pull away.
It was a huge victory for the Dodgers, as it secured the season series against the D-backs and the tiebreaker should the clubs finish the regular season with identical records.
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“After winning the first two games but dropping the third, being able to come back to win this one is a huge win,” Ohtani said via interpreter Will Ireton. “And obviously against a division rival is a big deal.”
With Ohtani needing six homers and four stolen bases to establish MLB’s 50-50 club, Los Angeles has 24 games remaining before the postseason, beginning Tuesday with his first regular-season game at Angel Stadium since leaving the Angels via free agency last winter.
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“I was thinking about giving him an off-day tomorrow,” manager Dave Roberts joked. “How would that go? Would that go over OK?”
Worry not, Ohtani fans. Roberts said as long as the slugger is healthy, he has no intention of sitting him down the stretch as he goes after history, even if the Dodgers clinch the division title. So Ohtani will be in his regular leadoff spot for his official Anaheim return.
“I’m sure it’s going to be somewhat emotional, but emotions are relative to the person and I think he’s going to be just fine going back there and helping us win a ballgame,” Roberts said. “There’s nothing that he’s had to deal with that he hasn’t passed with flying colors.”