The Los Angeles Dodgers got back on track with a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies in a game that saw Shohei Ohtani join elite company.
The 29-year-old swiped his 14th base of the season and became only the second Japanese-born player in MLB history with 100 home runs and 100 stolen bases (Ichiro Suzuki).
Suzuki hit 117 home runs and stole 509 bases over parts of 19 MLB seasons with the Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees and Miami Marlins. He hit a career-high 15 home runs in 2005 and stole a career-best 56 bases in 2001.
The latter was part of a historic debut season in which Suzuki won Rookie of the Year and American League MVP honors. The future Hall of Famer played his final MLB game in 2019.
Ohtani is on a similar trajectory after an unworldly start to his MLB career. He established himself as an elite two-way player with the Los Angeles Angels and captured two MVP Awards in his first six seasons.
Ohtani then went on to sign a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers, which is the largest deal in professional sports history. Through 57 games with his new team, Ohtani is hitting an outstanding .326/.395/.604 with 17 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs and 38 RBI.
Ohtani is on pace to set a new career high in stolen bases this year and could approach his personal-best of 46 home runs hit during the 2021 season.
Shohei Ohtani doesn’t let mental side affect performance
The start of Ohtani’s first season with the Dodgers was marred by a gambling scandal involving his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, who stole nearly $17 million from the two-way star to pay off debts.
Ohtani admitted the saga caused him to lose sleep, but doesn’t believe that off-field issues have affected his play.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was impressed by Ohtani’s ability to keep his focus and continue producing at an elite level.
