OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — An elbow injury has prevented Shohei Ohtani from pitching and being a two-way player in his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
His legs are making him a dual-threat offensively at an impressive pace.
The Japanese star stole three bases in Saturday night’s 10-0 win against the Oakland Athletics to give him 31 steals on the season, along with his 33 home runs.
“Shohei, as far as the foot speed and offensively, he’s one of one,” manager Dave Roberts said.
This marks just the fourth time in Dodgers history that a player joined the 30-30 club with Matt Kemp doing it in 2011 and Raul Mondesi in 1997 and 1999.
“That started in spring training when obviously he wasn’t going to be pitcher this year,” Roberts said of Ohtani’s focus on stealing more bases.
This is the first time Ohtani has done it in his career with his previous high in steals coming in 2021 when he had 26 to go with 46 homers for the Angels.
Ohtani reached the mark when he stole second in the ninth inning and then added another on a double steal later in the frame.
Ohtani is tied for the fourth fastest player to achieve the mark in a season with Jose Canseco also doing it in the 111th game of the season for Oakland in 1988. Bobby Bonds did it in the 110th game in 1973, Alex Rodriguez in the 107th game in 1998 and Eric Davis in the 105th game in 1987.
Now he has a chance of becoming the sixth player to join the far more exclusive club of players with 40 steals and 40 homers in a season.
“He was really focusing on keeping his body in a good spot and use his legs, which he was really excited to be able to run free,” Roberts said. “You obviously knew he was going to hit homers. I do think 40-40 was something that was on his radar from spring training.”