The Shohei Ohtani Era: Has Baseball’s Greatest Player Arrived?

The greatest individual season in baseball history was cemented by the greatest game by an individual in baseball history, raising the question of whether Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Shohei Ohtani is already the greatest player in baseball history.While the latter probably needs a few more years to validate, Mr. Ohtani ensured his immortal standing in baseball annals on Thursday night at Miami by becoming the first player in major league history with 50 home runs and 50 steals, milestones reached in perhaps the best single game by any player in baseball history.With nine games left in the regular season, including a three-game series against Colorado starting Friday night at Los Angeles, an unthinkable 55/55 club could be in the making before the Japanese superstar is finished.“This game has been around for a long time, and to do something that’s never been done, he’s one of one,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters at Miami.There was little doubt Mr. Ohtani would be the founder of the 50/50 Club, but how he reached the unprecedented mark was nothing short of heroic. The Dodgers slugger stole two bases and went 6-for-6 with a career-high three home runs and ten RBI in the Dodgers 20-4 romp over the Miami Marlins at Miami. The Dodgers clinched their 11th National League West title in 12 seasons.While the Dodgers reached the playoffs for the 12th straight season, this will be the first post-season for Mr. Ohtani, who signed a ten-year $700 million contract to join the Dodgers last winter after spending six years with Los Angeles Angels.Mr. Ohtani won two Most Valuable Players Awards with the Angels but had yet to experience a winning season. Now he’s in the post-season, creator of the 50/50 Club, and a lock to win the National League MVP award this year.“I’m just happy, relieved, and very respectful to the peers and everybody who came before me who played this sport of baseball,” Mr. Ohtani saidWhen signing with the Dodgers, he said his ultimate goal “was to win a World Series.” Creating the 50/50 club only validates he was worth every penny. “If I’m being honest, it was something I wanted to get over as soon as possible because the balls were being exchanged every time I was up to bat, so it was something that I wanted to get over with,” Mr. Ohtani said through an interpreter.It certainly seemed like Mr. Ohtani couldn’t wait for his date with destiny. He stole his 50th base in the first inning, belted his 49th home run in the sixth, his 50th in the seventh, and his 51st home run in the ninth amid chants of “MVP… MVP” from Marlins fans who demanded a curtain call for an opposing player.The Major League Baseball commissioner, Rob Manfred, acknowledged the unprecedented achievement. “While Shohei Ohtani has been a groundbreaking player for many years his latest feat as the first 50/50 player in the history of Major League Baseball reflect not just his amazing power-and-speed talent, but his character, his drive, and his commitment to all-around excellence,” Mr. Manfred said in a statement.Mr. Ohtani, who has 38 major league wins as a pitcher, has served exclusively as the Dodgers designated hitter while he recovers from elbow surgery. Not worrying about mound duty has allowed him to perfect his record-setting swing. “Aiming for a home run, for me, is not the best way of hitting a home run,” he said. “What I focus on is having quality at-bats. Aside from the homers I hit, I was able to put together good at-bats throughout the game.”Mr. Ohtani regular-season exploits will be magnified in the post-season where the Dodgers are the betting favorite to win the World Series. The ending of his season is certainly much better than the beginning when he was engulfed in a sports gambling controversy during spring training when his long-time interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, stole $17 million from the player’s account and spent much of it to cover gambling debts.Mr. Ohtani denied any knowledge of the sports betting and the controversy didn’t impact his performance on the field. “My goal has always been to make it to the playoffs,” Mr. Ohtani said. “It’s something I’ve really work hard for and I’m really happy to be able to make it. So now my goal is to be able to perform well in the playoffs.”

The Shohei Ohtani Era: Has Baseball’s Greatest Player Arrived?

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