While France was dozing peacefully at night, the performance of Japanese baseball player Shohei Ohtani amazed people on the other side of the Atlantic on Thursday, September 19. “Did Shohei Ohtani put on the greatest game in baseball history?” The Athletic asked after his performance against the Miami Marlins. During his team’s victory, the Los Angeles Dodgers (20-4), the 30-year-old achieved the unprecedented performance of reaching 50 home runs – a shot sent beyond the field – and 50 stolen bases – when a player already on a base runs to the next before the pitcher can throw the ball, during the same regular season.
In Major League Baseball history, only two players have ever reached 50 home runs or 50 stolen bases in a season – but not in the same year. Barry Bonds reached the mark of 52 stolen bases in 1990 with Pittsburgh, then hit 73 home runs with San Francisco in 2001. Baltimore Orioles player Brady Anderson surpassed the mark of 50 stolen bases in 1992, four years later, 50 home runs in 1996.
“We are looking at the best player of all time”
“What he’s doing now is pretty special.declared his agent Núñez Balelo, interviewed by El Athletic. I’ve seen him do some incredible things, both as a pitcher and as a hitter over the years, but the way he gets that 50/50 streak going is really incredible. I’m really proud of the way he approached this year and stayed focused. »
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred also congratulated the athlete: “ This feat reflects not only his incredible talent for power and speed, but also his character, drive and commitment to overall excellence. »
The 30-year-old’s teammates also praise him. “We are looking at the best player of all time”said one of them, Gavin Lux. “It’s crazy that it lives up to these kinds of expectations.” say hello to another, Mookie Betts. “He’s the most talented player I’ve ever seen in my life.”Even Skip Schumaker, Miami’s manager, acknowledged it.
Shohei Ohtani He joined the American League in 2017.. Talented both at bat and pitch, his versatility, very rare in modern baseball, quickly propelled him to the position of one of the best players of his generation. A quality that even earned him the nickname “The modern Babe Ruth” by the American press, in reference to a legend of the discipline, the American George Herman “Baby” Ruth (1895-1948).
Injured in the elbow this season, the player (1m93 and 95kg) does not throw and concentrates on hitting. This allowed him to set the fastest 40-40 record in the history of the league, then achieve the double of 50-50 a few months later, ten days before the end of the regular season.
The highest paid athlete in the United States
After playing for the Los Angeles Angels for nearly six seasons, Shohei Ohtani joined their neighbors the Dodgers in December 2023, a contract worth $700 million over ten years, making him the athlete with the largest American contract. A superstar in Japan (there is a monument erected in his honor in front of his high school field), his performance on Thursday sparked a backlash from the Japanese government, which insisted on “I congratulate you from the bottom of my heart”.
“It was a performance I wanted to achieve as quickly as possible.” “He said at the end of the meeting. When the regular season ends on September 29, Shohei Ohtani will focus on the playoffs, having never had the opportunity to play in the final stages. Two days after his record, the player brought it to 52-52, against the Colorado Rockies. “Knowing him, he’ll probably get to 60-60, you never know with him.”Dodgers manager Dave Roberts concluded.
