Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second half of the season has displayed remarkable steal pace. Japan was also shocked when the calculation came out that it is also possible to break the record of most stolen bases in a single season by Ichiro Suzuki, 51, a legendary player of the Major League Baseball.
Ohtani started as the first and designated hitter in the Arizona Diamondbacks and 2024 Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season visit game at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona on the 3rd (Korea time) and recorded 2 hits, 2 walks, 2 runs and 3 steals in 4 at-bats.
Ohtani, who had no hit in four times at bat on Sunday, lost face by stealing three bases in one game for the second time in his Major League career. Ohtani’s instinct to steal bases started in the fourth inning. He garnered a straight walk with two outs and a third base in the top of the fourth inning, and stole the second base at Mookie Betts’ bat.
With the Los Angeles Dodgers leading 3-1 in the seventh inning, they had a hit to the right and stole second and third bases in a row. In Betts’ at-bat, he reached second base on the second pitch and third base on the third pitch. The Arizona Batteries never thought of stopping the third base steal as the curveball came into the bound.
Ohtani’s batting average for this season is 0.292 (157 hits in 537 times at bat), 44 homers, 98 RBIs, 109 runs, and 46 steals (OPS) of 0.993. With the Los Angeles Dodgers still 24 games to go, only six homers and four steals remain until the first 50 homers and 50 steals in a season in the history of the Major League. The prevailing view is that he can hit 52 homers and 54 steals at the end of the game on Thursday.
On top of that, Japanese media Full Count noted Ohtani’s all-time steal pace in the second half, saying, “Expectations for unprecedented 50-50 are rising, but Ohtani may break the Japanese major leaguer’s record for most stolen bases in a season.” 먹튀검증
The biggest number of stolen bases in a single season of Japanese Major Leaguers is Ichiro’s 56th base in 2001. Ichiro recorded a batting average of 0.350 (242 hits in 692 at-bats) and 56 steals in 157 games during his debut season, winning both the American League Rookie of the Year and the MVP. Since then, he has successfully stole many bases and recorded a batting average of 0.311 (3,089 hits in 9,934 at-bats) with 117 homers, 780 RBIs and 1420 runs, and a 0.355 on-base percentage and a 0.402 slugging percentage in 2,653 games in 19 seasons, and is on the verge of being inducted into the Hall of Fame.
“Otani has 54 stolen bases in the season, but the number of stolen bases has increased sharply since the All-Star Game with 23 steals in 41 games in the second half,” Full Count said. “If this pace (the second half) is maintained, he will add 13 steals in the remaining 24 games, and if so, he will achieve 59 steals in the season.” Ohtani himself has emphasized the success rate, saying, “If I am confident that I am safe with high probability, I will play boldly.”
His team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, is also expected to give a bold boost to Otani’s challenge. “I will probably not give Otani a break. Whether he will play or not depends on his physical condition,” LA Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters after Thursday’s game. “I will give him a break only when he says he wants to or when he feels he needs to.”