Shohei Ohtani has made history again.
The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar became the fastest player in major league history to join the 40-40 club on Friday, doing so in spectacular fashion with a grand slam that beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-3.
It looked like Ohtani wouldn’t get another at-bat in the game unless it went to extra innings with a 3-3 tie. But Will Smith was hit by a pitch and ended the ninth. After a sacrifice bunt by Miguel Rojas and a groundout by Gavin Lux, Max Muncie pinch-hit for Enrique Hernandez and drew a walk to bring Ohtani to the plate with the bases loaded.
Rays reliever Manuel Rodriguez had no choice but to pitch to Ohtani with the bases loaded. On his first pitch, he hung an 84 mph slider at the plate and Ohtani crushed it into center field.
Ohtani had his 40th stolen base in the fourth inning, swiping at second after Tyler Alexander’s leadoff single to put him one swing away from joining an exclusive club.
Ohtani entered Friday’s game with 39 home runs and 39 stolen bases. He joined the 30-30 club earlier this month with a 10-0 Dodgers win over the Oakland Athletics, making him the third-fastest hitter in league history. He did so in 108 games, one behind Alex Rodriguez’s mark with the Seattle Mariners in 1998 and 18 behind Eric Davis’ 90 game mark with the Cincinnati Reds in 1987.
Ohtani is the sixth player in MLB history to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a single season. Ronald Acuna Jr. set a record last season when he stole an incredible 60 bases. Alfonso Soriano, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds and Jose Canseco are the other four in the 40/40 club.
Those five players needed until the end of September to break the record. Soriano was the previous fastest record holder, setting the record on September 16, 2006. Ohtani is almost a month ahead of that pace.
Ohtani is batting .292 with a .992 OPS to go with his 40 home runs this season, his first with the Dodgers. He leads the National League in home runs and trails only New York Yankees star Aaron Judge, who hit his 49th homer on Friday. Only Cincinnati Reds star Ellie De La Cruz has stolen more bases this year with 60.
As he recovers from elbow surgery this year, Ohtani has made an incredible case for the NL’s MVP award this season. His latest record was added to that campaign, and the regular season is just over a month away.
