Ohtani Unleashed: 189 km/h Blazer, 44th Stolen Base, and a Game-Tying Masterclass
- With the score at 3-1, it was the fourth inning with two outs and a runner on third.
- In his first at-bat in the first inning, he faced left-hander Rodriguez.
- Ohtani became the first player in major league history to hit 43 home runs and steal 43 bases in a season.
Shohei Ohtani Achieves Unprecedented 44-44 Record
With the score at 3-1, it was the fourth inning with two outs and a runner on third. The Diamondbacks bench had prepared left-hander Montgomery, but they kept starting pitcher Rodriguez in. However, he was walked on a straight ball. Then, with runners on first and third, he succeeded in stealing second base. This was his 44th stolen base of the season. With this, his number of stolen bases was tied with his number of home runs, making the score 44-44.
In his first at-bat in the first inning, he faced left-hander Rodriguez. With the count at 2-1, Ohtani caught a softly placed sinker on the inside, and his 117.2 mph (about 188.6 km/h) ball bounced off the right field in an instant. However, the next batter, Betts, was caught in a double play on a grounder to second base, meaning Ohtani had no chance to steal. In his second at-bat in the third inning with no outs and a runner on second base, he was relentlessly attacked on the inside, which was a close call. Also, when he fouled off the seventh pitch, the ball grazed his right knee, which made him seem concerned, but on the eighth pitch, he pulled in the outside slider and grounded out to second base, advancing the bases. Then, after Betts hit a timely single to left field to take the lead, Freeman, who had returned from a broken middle finger on his right hand, hit his third home run of the series to add to the score.
Ohtani became the first player in major league history to hit 43 home runs and steal 43 bases in a season. He achieved this feat in the second game of the series against the Diamondbacks on August 31. In the third game, he was hitless for the first time in three games, with four at-bats and three strikeouts, but he is expected to perform well in the fourth round, which will be a direct showdown with the second-place team.
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