The Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani is accomplishing a feat rarely done in Major League Baseball. In fact, it has been done only twice before in more than a century. Ohtani registered a home run, triple, stolen base, two walks and was hit by a pitch in a game on Saturday, per ESPN. That's a rarity hardly ever seen in Major League Baseball.
Ohtani helped the Dodgers defeat the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-3. His stat line is so unique it has been done only twice before in 115 years. The last time was in 2019, when Christian Yelich got a homer, triple, stolen base, walk and was hit by a pitch in a game for the Milwaukee Brewers. Before then, it only happened once before, way back during the 1910 season for the New York Highlanders.
“I felt like he was going to be able to reset himself,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said about Ohtani, per ESPN. “He took a couple walks, got the ball up in the zone and he was back to being Shohei.”
Ohtani in Los Angeles this season
There have been enormous expectations this season for the Dodgers and Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers paid millions upon millions to bring the versatile slugger to the club, beating out Toronto and several other teams. On the season, the slugger is hitting .316 with 28 home runs. Ohtani has the most homers of anyone in the National League, and he trails New York Yankee Aaron Judge for the most in Major League Baseball. Judge leads the majors with 32.
“Hitting is very difficult certainly when you're Shohei and guys are going to bring their best when they face him,” Roberts added. “I think for him just simplifying where he is good in the strike zone, then the natural ability takes over. I've never seen anything like it recently.”
Ohtani has struggled some in recent games. He had only one hit in the last three games for the team. While that is not a terrible slump, Dodgers fans have come to expect a lot more from the hitter. The club is one of the National League favorites to make the World Series this season, and the campaign will probably be viewed as a failure for the Dodgers if they don't make it to the championship series.
The slugger is putting himself in elite Dodgers company with this latest performance. The last time a member of the franchise was hit by a pitch, tripled, stole a base and walked in a game was back in 1953. The player to do it was the legendary Jackie Robinson. Ohtani is truly making the most of his time with the club.
The Dodgers and Ohtani are back in action on Sunday against the Brewers. The first pitch is scheduled for 4:10 Eastern. Los Angeles is now 55-35 on the year, good for first in the National League West Division.
