Otani on the Brink of History: Can He Reach 55 Steals and Cement His Legacy

Shohei Ohtani Sets Unprecedented Single-Season Record

(Central News Agency Reporter Dai Yazen Tokyo, 20th) Major League Baseball MLB Los Angeles Dodgers Japanese star Shohei Ohtani had 3 homers and 2 steals on the 19th, setting an unprecedented historical record of 51 homers and 51 steals in a single season.

The Dodgers played the Miami Marlins away from home on the 19th, US time. Ohtani became the first player in major league history to hit 3 home runs and 2 stolen bases in a single game in addition to a home run, plus 2 stolen bases in the 6th, 7th and 9th innings, respectively. He also became the first man in major league history to hit the milestone of “50 homers and 50 steals” in a season.

At the same time, he pushed his personal single-season record to “51 homers and 51 steals”. Japanese sports newspapers made a celebratory front page, Japanese media described Ohtani’s great achievement as “reaching a different level”, and the Japanese professional baseball community also blessed Shohei Ohtani for his achievement.

Reactions from the Japanese Baseball Community

The Sponichi Annex reported that before heading to Hiroshima for the game, Giants coach Shinnosuke Abe joked during an interview at Haneda Airport, “That’s great, can you lend it to us today? It will cost about 2 billion yen for the remaining 10 games.”

Lord’s coach Rihito Yoshio congratulated, “Oh, he’s hit it. It’s an unprecedented record. It’s really amazing.” When asked if he would still be an active player and play against Ohtani, he laughed and said, “I definitely would. It’s okay to avoid him stealing bases, but it would be annoying if he hit a home run.”

Sadaharu Oh on Ohtani’s Achievement

Sadaharu Oh, the “World Home Run King” and current chairman of Japan’s SoftBank, said, “It’s really shocking. He’s someone who always surprises. Every year, every year, we have new expectations of him and he always delivers. Even If the standards are higher, he can still surpass them.

Asked if Ohtani Shohei could surpass Oh Sadaharu’s career single-season record of 55 home runs, he said, “It’s possible, as long as his opponents are willing to face him, he can surpass Oh Sadaharu.” Ohtani’s performance on Shohei met expectations.

Ohtani’s Response to the Record

With nine games left in the season, Ohtani was asked by reporters if it was possible to reach a 55-55 record, saying, “It’s totally possible.” He added, “It was the same when I was a player. Nothing was ever good enough. When he surpassed those records, it was a thing of the past. He was always thinking about the next step.”

Munetaka Murakami on Ohtani’s Achievement

Munetaka Murakami, who won the World Baseball Classic (WBC) World Championship with Shohei Ohtani last March and plays for the Yakult Swallows, also lamented, “All I can say is it’s amazing. Ohtani has proven that the Japanese can do it and achieve it. He achieved something that even American players could not achieve.”