It was Sept. 19, 2024. Ohtani had entered the day two residence runs and one stolen base away from changing into the founding member of the 50-50 membership. He received what he wanted after which some, going 6-for-6 with an astounding three homers, two steals and 10 RBIs.
In his return to the ballpark the place he had made Main League historical past a little bit greater than seven months prior, Ohtani did not attain those self same heights in Monday’s 7-4 win over the Marlins — however he nonetheless wowed with the hardest-hit residence run in MLB this season.
Oh, and he swiped his tenth bag, too.
“Particular,” first baseman Freddie Freeman mentioned. “He went out and hit a house run and stole one other base. I feel he likes doing that right here. Hopefully, he can maintain it going.”
Ohtani’s ninth homer of the yr, a two-run blast off Marlins righty Sandy Alcantara within the fifth inning, got here off his bat at an eye-popping 117.9 mph. It was the fifth-hardest-hit round-tripper of Ohtani’s profession, together with the postseason, and the famous person now has the Dodgers’ prime 13 exit velocities on batted balls since Statcast started monitoring in 2015.
The 2 hardest-hit homers off Ohtani’s bat this season each got here off Alcantara, who additionally surrendered a leadoff shot to Ohtani when the Marlins had been at Dodger Stadium final week.
“I am positive the velo helped with my exit velo,” Ohtani mentioned, by interpreter Will Ireton. “I used to be glad that I used to be in a position to do it once more.”
Monday’s blast drove in Hyeseong Kim, who checked off a few milestones in his first recreation in a Main League beginning lineup. Kim notched his first huge league hit with an opposite-field single within the fifth inning, swiping second base earlier than Ohtani drove them each in, then drove in his first run within the Majors with a blooper to shallow left-center within the sixth.
Ohtani congratulated Kim on his first hit after they each scored within the fifth, one other signal of the rising relationship between the 2.
“I might say I am nonetheless not snug with him, as a result of he is a giant star,” Kim mentioned by interpreter Joe Lee. “However he at all times talks to me first, he at all times asks questions, at all times talks to me, in order that makes for a very good adjustment and adapting.”
Earlier within the recreation, Ohtani walked and stole second base earlier than Freeman drove him in together with his 350th profession residence run within the third inning. Freeman moved right into a tie with Ryan Howard and Ryan Zimmerman for probably the most all-time homers in opposition to the Marlins together with his forty first.
Regardless that Ohtani has made a profession out of engaging in the unprecedented, the Dodgers didn’t come into the yr anticipating a repeat of the 50-50 season. Provided that Ohtani had left shoulder labrum surgical procedure final November and is working towards an eventual return to the mound, the group was at the least anticipating fewer stolen-base makes an attempt.
Ohtani injured his shoulder in a bid to steal second base in Sport 2 of final yr’s World Sequence, so the priority is legitimate. He is been engaged on protecting his left arm off the bottom whereas he is sliding, though he did not handle that when he slid into second on Monday.
With 9 homers and 10 stolen bases by the Dodgers’ first 35 video games, Ohtani is presently on tempo for a 41-46 season. He has beforehand mentioned that his buildup as a pitcher — which presently entails throwing off the mound twice every week, one mild session and one heavier one — hasn’t affected him a lot on the plate, though he thinks there’s an opportunity that modifications as soon as he begins going through hitters.
Ohtani’s 50-50 marketing campaign felt like a once-in-a-lifetime achievement, not least due to the efficiency he needed to get there. However the Dodgers have realized to count on the sudden from him — particularly at a spot like loanDepot park, which can be the positioning the place he closed out Samurai Japan’s 2023 World Baseball Traditional victory.
“Actually good reminiscences,” Ohtani mentioned. “Simply with the accomplishments final yr and enjoying within the WBC. We had a very good recreation right this moment as properly. That is considered one of my favourite stadiums.”
